Breaking the Illusion of Tranquility
by Vrawr
Summary: The next time Hinata wakes up after her battle with Pein, she is in the body of a newborn. Seth/Hinata/Embry
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Yeah... another Hinata/Wolf story, but... hopefully this one is a bit different. (:

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

><p>Hinata isn't sure what's going on.<p>

It's like she's floating in the dark—which is incredibly unlikely, considering she was just fighting a member of the Akatsuki.

Unless, of course, this is what dying feels like. She wonders if she's dead.

She could be. She might be. She probably is.

She challenged Pein—the _leader of the biggest criminal organization in the entire history of Shinobi—_to save Naruto's life. She hopes she succeeded, even if it means that she gave up her own life in the process.

Naruto's life is more important than hers. Kami, she wishes sometimes that that wasn't true, but it is and it probably always will be. She is the (was the?) the heiress to the Hyuuga, but Naruto is destined to be the savior of a nation. She knew from the moment she saw him as a child, that he would be so very important. He'll be the Hokage one day, she knows. But what she doesn't know is if she'll ever be able to even see that happen.

She drifts in and out of conscious thinking, but never in and out of actual consciousness. Time seems to move at snail's pace, if it's even moving at all. She can't tell.

After what seems to be _years, _she finally sees a light, and blurry figures all around her. She smells the familiar scent of blood and she panics, letting out a screech.

Her voice is light and her eyes are _still so blurry._

She reaches out, but realizes she can't. Someone picks her up and carries her as if she a small child. She struggles in their grasp—or, well, she attempts to. It's a bit hard, when she is wrapped in a blanket.

It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but it takes Hinata Hyuuga 3 days to realize that she is no longer a 16 year old girl.

She's a _baby._


	2. Chapter One

**Most chapters will be pretty short. At least until Hinata gets a little older, anyways.**

* * *

><p>She has a mother.<p>

Of course, she's always had a mother... but only foggy recollections and memories of affection.

But now, as she is pressed into her _new_ mother's bosom, she wonders how she managed to survive so long without a love this strong. Her father never offered his embrace, and the rest of her family took after him. Kurenai-sensei was the only one who ever gave her half of this affection.

Her mother seems to be of Asian-descent. Her father is not, though. His skin is tanned and his hair is black and long and he's really very handsome.

Whether by the luck of some unknown deity or an absolute coincidence, her name is still Hinata.

Her mother mumbles something, but Hinata doesn't know what. She still doesn't understand this strange language that they're speaking—just bits and pieces of rare Japanese, that her mother speaks at times.

She is laid in her crib and is left in silence. This is her least favorite part.

It gives her time to think; time to recollect. She doesn't like it. She doesn't like _this. _

She appreciates the feeling of love that a mother _and _a father give her, but she doesn't like how helpless she is. She doesn't like being in the dark. Is Naruto alive? Is he dead? Did she fail? Succeed? Is the Shinobi world crashing and burning, now that she's gone? _Dead? _

She knows that the latter most likely isn't true. Her death wouldn't have had such a major impact.

She also knows that she most likely is no longer in the Land of Fire. It rains far too often here, and the air is too wet. She _could_ be in Kirigakure (Kami, she hopes not)... but she doubts it. She doubts she's even in the land of _Shinobi _anymore. She doesn't feel chakra in the air. The people here don't speak Japanese. Her parents haven't said anything in relation to shinobi—then again, even if they _did_ say something, she wouldn't exactly understand them, would she?

She falls into a restless slumber.

Another thing she dislikes; she sleeps _far_ too much.

* * *

><p>A year passes. She begins to grasp the language they're speaking, simply because she has no other choice. If she doesn't understand them, she won't be able to understand anything. And she needs to understand. She needs to understand, so that maybe, <em>one day,<em> she can go back to the land she loves. To the Land of Fire; to the Village of Leaves; to the _people she loves. _She knows that the possibility of her ever going back grow worse and worse as each day goes on, but she can't help but _hope._

"_You are my sunshine, Hinata. My sweet, sweet sunshine."_

Is what her mother whispers every night before she lays her daughter down to sleep. Hinata faintly remembers her real mother—the mother she knew for a total of 5 years, before death took her away—telling her the exact same thing.

Coincidence or not, Hinata does not find it charming.

* * *

><p>When she turns <em>three, <em>she is thrown a party. There are only a few people there, and most of them look very similar to her father—dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and stunning beauty. Their names are all a jumble, but she can at least understand them now. She doesn't know if she should talk to them—is it normal here to speak at the age of 3? She doesn't know. She doesn't want to be labeled a prodigy, even though she's almost positive being a prodigy _here_ wouldn't be the same as it is in the world of Shinobi.

She meets children, though none of them really interest her. None of them are her friends—none of them are even similar. She knows that it's not exactly a far comparison, but... she can't help it. She can't help but compare these kids to Kiba, Shino, Neji, _Naruto. _She can't help it, so she doesn't stop.


	3. Chapter Two

She looks in the mirror one day. She's curious as to what she looks like. Is her appearance the same? She doubts it is. She knows she most likely doesn't have the Byakugan anymore. She can't even tell if she still has chakra flowing through her veins. She's been hesitant to try anything. What if she really doesn't have any? What if she really _is _just a civilian? She doesn't want that. She doesn't want that at all.

Hinata gazes into the mirror, staring into her own light blue eyes. She wonders how she could possibly have them—both of her parents have dark brown eyes... shouldn't she? Her hair is dark, though. Almost pitch black, which is similar to the color she had in her... in her _past life. _Back then, however, her hair was a very dark purple. She finds that she likes her appearance, no matter how strange it may be to see it after 16 years of being a completely different person.

–

When she is 5, she enters school. It's... surprisingly easy (or, perhaps, not quite so surprising, considering that she's surrounded by children). Basic math—nothing like those _horrible _problems on the first Chuunin Exams, which she actually managed to do with only a bit of trouble. On her second attempt becoming a Chuunin, they had another written exam—the math was only a bit easier, but she managed to do it with ease.

She doesn't make friends. People try, and people fail, to get to know her. She attempts to be polite—she just doesn't want to be friends with them. They think she's conceited though. They think she's stuck-up and rude and they don't like her at all after the first few months of school.

She finds that she doesn't mind very much.

–

When she is 8, she is offered to skip to the 6th grade.

"Hinata's performance is extraordinary!" Her teachers tell her parents. "She's gifted, that's for sure." For once, the word _gifted_ is being used in relation to her; _about her. _She likes it, no matter how trivial it is. She's 24 years old now—of course she should be 'gifted'.

Her parents smile and turn to her. She can tell they aren't entirely sure about it. They probably don't want her to be shunned even more by kids older than her. But Hinata merely tilts her head to the side and smiles as brightly as she can.

"I-I'd love to!" She still has the stutter, even in this life.

_She hates it so much._

–

Her mother is standing behind her, brushing her hair gently.

"You're so pretty, Hinata. You look so much like George's mother, it's not even funny." Her father is George. Her mother is Fuka.

Her father is Native American—Makah, they say. Her mother is, of course, Japanese. Hinata likes it most when her mother mutters soft words of her native tongue—Hinata's native tongue, too.

The young girl smiles and utters a small noise of thanks. She likes this woman; her _mother. _She really likes her, and she may even love her, but she still hasn't come to terms with the fact that this _isn't truly her world... _but she has to pretend like it is. She has to pretend like this woman is her mother, and this family is her own. She has to pretend like she's a 9 year old girl and she has to act like she truly has the innocent mind of a child. She has to pretend like she hasn't seen the horrors of war and the feelings of dread after losing a loved one. She has to pretend like she hasn't been beaten to a bloody pulp countless times. She has to pretend that she hasn't killed. She has to pretend she isn't a young woman, because she is supposed to be a child.

It's hard sometimes, to do it. It's so hard, because she hasn't had a proper conversation in years. She can't remember the last time she was open with someone—truly, honestly open. It hurts, knowing that the only people she has ever trusted are a lifetime away. She will most likely never see her friends again. She will never see Neji or Hanabi or her _real _father again. She will never see Shino, Kurenai, Kiba or Akamaru again. She'll never see _Naruto _again.

Her chest aches at this thought. She doesn't dwell on it, no matter how much she just wants to think of his face. His bright, smiling, sunny face. The face she has wanted to kiss for years; the face she has dreamed about since her first night in this world, and even before that.

She wants to hold him, even if it's just for a moment.

But it will never happen. It will _never happen._


	4. Chapter Three

When she's 11, she starts high school.

She has breezed by the years before, and she expects this to be completely the same.

She's right, when it comes to the work. The problems they give her are easy; simple, really. Even the classes involving American history. She's good at memorization, and has no problem with getting the job done.

But the people are a completely different story. She has long ago gotten used to being alone. She was alone most of her past life, and she has no problems with it now. She's even used to the insults. When your own _father _has called you a disgrace, there's not much that can hurt. Or, at least, that's what she thought.

A freak, they say. A giant _bitch _of a girl who may be a genius, but lets it get to her head. They say that she'll always be alone, and that the only people who will ever love her are her parents. They call her stuck-up and pompous and they really hate her—just like the kids in kindergarten did. She tries to ignore it. She's 11 and they're 14 or 15 or 16, and they _don't know what they're talking about._

But she's _not _11. She's 27. She should know how to make friends by now, but she hasn't and she almost hates herself for it.

Even as their insults hit home and even as she bites back tears and can't stop the dam from breaking when she lies down to go to sleep at night, she tries to ignore them. She tries to suck it up and move on—but she can't. Because it hurts. It really, really hurts.

–

A year later, her parents say they're moving. _La Push, _they say. It's an Indian Reservation, just like the one they're living on now—except where they are now is home to the Makah tribe, and La Push is inhabited mostly by those of Quileute-descent.

Hinata finds herself looking forward to it, even though she knows that it will most likely be the same as this place. She'll be an outcast; she won't have friends; she'll be considered a freak.

But she can suck it up—because her parents (_parents) _look so happy, talking of their new life. Her father's friends live in La Push, and he has always loved it there. He thinks it'll be a good new start, especially considering the trouble his daughter has had with making friends.

He just wants the best for his family; for his little girl.

–

It's very rainy in La Push, Washington.

Hinata has long ago gotten used to how wet this new world is. She doesn't like it much, considering how sunny it used to be in Konoha, but part of her doesn't mind the sound of rain tapping against her window at night, lulling her into slumber.

Their new home is small—2 bedrooms, a kitchen, 2 bathrooms, a living room, dining room, and hallway. Small, but still about the size of their old house. Both of them combined still have nothing on the sheer size of the Hyuuga compound, though. In the back of her mind, Hinata remembers the size of her old room—it could probably fit half of this house inside of it, she muses.

She doesn't dislike it, though.

–

It's summer when they arrive, and school doesn't start for another month. Her mother tells her to check out the beach ("Maybe you'll find a cute boy or two!"). Hinata blushes and mumbles something about only being 12—almost 13, though, to be fair.

Her mom merely smiles and winks. The younger girl sighs and turns in the direction she assumes the beach is in. It's a small reservation. She can't get _too _lost, after all. And she's right. She finds the beach after only 10 minutes of searching. Almost instantly, she wants to shy back to the safety of her home. She buries her head in her jacket (one almost exactly like the one she wore in her past life. It's purple and beige and she _loves it.) _and shuffles through the sand.

There aren't _too _many people there, but Hinata is nervous around even the smallest of crowds. Especially when she's the only one not in a bathing suit.

There are a lot of teens—boys in swim trunks and girls in _bikinis. _She feels awkward with her oversized jacket, but she doesn't dare take it off.

Her body is similar to how it was _before. _Her chest is bigger than most girls her age, and though big breasts are considered attractive in this world (at least, to most people), she still can't help but feel self-conscious. In the world of Shinobi; especially Kunoichi, a large chest usually just slowed a girl down, unless she knew how to deal with it.

Hinata didn't really know how then, and she still doesn't.

She sits down in the sand, close to the shore but not quite touching the water. She takes off her sandals and buries her toes in the ground, bringing her knees up to her chin. Letting out a heavy breath, she stares at the reflection of the sun in the sea. She sees _his _face. She can't help it.

He is the sun. He has _always _been the sun; the ray of light in her darkness and the person who gives her hope in a world filled with such evil and spite. But this is no longer his world; no longer _their _world. There has never been _their world, _though,because there has never been a _them._

But Hinata can't help but dream. She no longer even considers it a wish; it's much too outlandish for that.

She buries her face in between her legs and sighs. Tears prickle her eyes and she wants more than anything for things to go back to how they were before. She wants to have friends again. She wants people to talk to; people to _understand _her. No one in this world will ever understand what she's gone through.

And she hates that. She hates a lot of things, and that slightly confuses her. She's never hated so greatly before; never felt such anger and self-loathing. Or, perhaps she _has_ felt the latter. She's hated herself before... she definitely has.

She has welcomed death before, though she has never sought it out. She's not about to start, no matter how much she may dislike the world she's in right now.

She wonders why she's even here. Why would fate take her away from the place she was happy, and drop her in another world, just to waste away?

Hinata jumps when someone touches her shoulder. Snapping her head around, she comes face to face with one of the most beautiful women she has ever seen—in both lives.

The woman smiles hesitantly. "Hi. I... uh... well, _we_ saw you over here by yourself and... we were wondering if you'd like to join us over there?" She points to a small group of people, most of which are staring at Hinata. With a blooming blush, the younger girl is unable to stop herself from nodding.

The woman smiles brightly. Hinata's breath is nearly taken away at the sight.

"I'm Emily by the way. What's your name?"

Hinata shares her story. She just moved there with her parents; she's going to be starting 10th grade soon at La Push High. Most of the people are surprised at that.

"But you look so young!" Leah gasps, her arms wrapped tightly around Sam. He has been her boyfriend for almost 2 years, they say. They are all 16, though Emily is only visiting for another few weeks. She's Leah's cousin.

"Ah... I... um, I'm 12." She almost doesn't want to tell them. She knows they most likely won't judge her, but she can't help but worry. They seem like nice people, but even the kindest of people can be cruel at times—usually without even meaning to.

Emily merely smiles. "You _do _seem like one of those quiet, genius types." Her eyes are still sweet; her smile is still strong, and Hinata feels more warmth from this one girl than she has ever felt from almost anyone else in this world.


	5. Chapter Four

**Warning: **I've changed the ages around a bit, if you haven't noticed. Seth is originally 6 years younger than Leah, but in this story he's only about 2 and a half years younger.

–

Hinata meets with these people (_her friends, _she describes them tentatively to her mother) until school starts, and Emily has to return back to her own home—A Makah reservation, she says, though not the same one that Hinata used to live on.

The high school here is tiny. There are only about a hundred students, including Hinata, and she finds that she greatly likes this school more than her last few.

She sits with Sam and Leah at lunch, and though it hurts her chest to look at such a happy couple (because it reminds her of what she and Naruto never had), she actually likes it more than being alone. She likes having _friends, _even though they will never truly understand her, even if they wanted to.

The classes are still easy. Nothing to really worry about. She even helps Leah with her homework sometimes. When the older girl starts to lose patience, however, Hinata always backs off. She doesn't want to lose the few people she can talk to.

A few days after the end of the first semester, Hinata turns 13. _December 27__th__. _All of these coincidences are really starting to bug her. At the same time, though, she's grateful. She doesn't have to remember a bunch of new information. She has the same name—sort of, anyways. Hinata White _is_ a bit strange. But she's gotten used to it. She has the same birthday; the same face, almost. She has almost the exact same body, minus the scars.

She imagines that there's some bored god laughing down at her from their throne.

–

There are a lot of attractive boys at La Push High, Hinata can't help but notice after awhile. Sam is one of them, though his features are a bit too defined for Hinata's tastes—and he's Leah's, of course. There's also Paul, Jared, Embry, Jacob... and, well, _Set__h._

Leah's younger brother is definitely someone Hinata can't help but think about at times. His face is never in her mind more than Naruto's—but it's there, none the less. She thinks of him as she drifts off to sleep... and then wakes up panting.

And she feels disgusting afterward, because he's only 14. _14._

She is a 29 year old woman, stuck in the body of a 13 year old _girl. _In a way, she supposes it's okay to dream about him; to _like him._ It's not as if she can help what she remembers and who she is. Maybe it's just a glitch in the system, she can't help but think. Maybe she wasn't supposed to remember all of the things that she has.

Seth even looks like Naruto a little—or, well, no... he doesn't look _anything _like Naruto. But they have the same sunny disposition. Seth is the first person Hinata has encountered in this world that has made her heart lurch. She doesn't even really understand _why. _She has only met him a handful of times, but his personality has left an imprint on her heart. And she really, really likes it.

His voice is softer than Sam's and deeper than Naruto's (she can still remember the rough texture of his voice; the warmth and the laughter), and she can't help but think it's absolutely perfect for him. He smiles at her a lot and always laughs at her subtle jokes—even when not even _she_ thinks they're funny.

He's a good person—a really good person.

–

On one of the few days Sam and Leah aren't available for lunch (they skip classes together sometimes. They offer Hinata a chance to come along, but she always declines. She doesn't want to get in trouble, after all. A goody-two-shoes they call her jokingly. She can't help but wonder), another group of people sit next to her at the table.

They don't talk to her; don't even acknowledge her, but Hinata can't help but be curious. She glances up from the pages of her book, and her heart practically stops.

_He looks so much like Kiba._

Her breath catches in her throat and she feels bile attempting to make its way up. Snapping her head away, she attempts to ignore them—ignore _him. _But when she hears him laugh, her eyes prickle with tears and can't stop the whine from leaving her throat.

With heavy breaths, she pushes herself away from the lunch table and makes her way into the hallway. From behind her, she vaguely hears him say _freak,_ with laughter rich in his voice. Her mind stops working, but her feet keep on their path. Within seconds, she's in the girl's bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Her lungs are straining and her eyes feel like they're about to _explode. _Before she can stop herself, she lets out a low moan, clutching her palms to the sockets of her eyes. After several seconds of heavy panting, she wearily allows herself to look in the mirror...

… merely to flinch back almost immediately.

There are veins all around her eyes. She can see _everything _around her. She can see the heartbeat of every single living person in this building. Just like she thought, though, there is no chakra—at least not with anyone else.

The sight is almost grotesque, after not seeing it for so long. She smacks herself for thinking such a thing, though.

For once, she feels the familiar pulse of power and chakra underneath her skin. She's laughing before she even realizes what she's doing.

Merely one hand-sign later, her eyes are back to normal, leaving her giddy with excitement.


	6. Chapter Five

When she returns home that day and looks in the mirror, her eyes are bloodshot and incredibly red. What seem to be _bruises_ lightly color her temples—and it _hurts._ But at the same time, it _doesn't_, because it's a small price to pay, to know she's not useless anymore. She can still call herself a Hyuuga, even if she's the only one of her clan left in this world.

She smiles at her mother's questioning gaze ("_oh my god, are you okay?") _and hurries into their backyard. There's a forest thick enough for her to compare it to Konoha back here—and she wants to _see_. See if there's anything else she can do.

She is surrounded by trees, a light drizzle dripping down on to her skin. She sucks in a breath and tilts her head up. A blinding smile covers her face, as she attempts to drop into the infamous Hyuuga stance—the stance that she hadn't even _thought_ about for a good few years, let alone _tried._

Her movements are awkward and her stance is most likely wrong. She's never done something like this in this body before. It's strange and tense and it doesn't flow like it should—but she doesn't give up. Because to give up would mean that she's failed; and she can't fail. Not again; not in this lifetime.

She stays outside in the rain until she's drenched from head to toe. Her Byakugan is activated (it only took one hand-sign; one that she's done thousands of times.) and her jacket no longer weighs her down. It's on the forest floor a few feet away, but she doesn't mind the wetness on her arms. She doesn't mind the burning in her eyes or the pressure in her lungs. She doesn't care that she's sore and in pain and _just wants to sleep. _She doesn't care about anything but getting it right.

Her palms twist outward and her legs move back and forth, as if she's doing a dance only she knows the moves to. With only a bit of hesitance, she brings chakra to her palms and thrusts forward. The blue streak of chakra in the air, left by her hand, is enough to make her erupt in laughter. She hasn't felt like this in so, so long!

–

Her mother makes her stay home the next day. "Hinata... sweety, what happened to you? Don't your eyes hurt?" They _do_ hurt, but she doesn't mention it. She doesn't want to be taken to a doctor, to be poked and prodded. She doesn't want them to find out about her discovery; she doesn't want them to _know._

"I-I'm fine, mom." And she _is _fine. She's _more_ than fine, because... she's not a civilian. She can still call herself a Kunoichi, even if she is the only one in this world. She can still manipulate her chakra and she can still see with her bloodline limit. She isn't _useless._

When her parents head off to work, Hinata goes outside again. She's dizzy and tired, but that doesn't stop her. She wills chakra to move into her legs. She stands stock-still for several minutes, breathing labored. "Please, please please," She whispers quietly.

"_Please work."_

And it does. She feels the power in her legs and she lets out another laugh, before beginning to run.

She runs and runs and runs until she can no longer feel her face from the cold wind. She blinks blearily against the rain, only to push more energy into her feet. She just wants to be _free._

When she crashes into the rough trunk of a tree, she merely smiles as the tears of shock run down her cheeks.

It's cold and she's tired, but she's more happy than she's been in _years._

–

She hides the bruises and scabs on her legs with long pants. Her parents don't question it, because Hinata has never really worn anything _but _pants.

School is the same... but at the same time, it's _not. _She is filled with so much more confidence than she's ever known. She manages to walk down the hallway with her head held high, and not angled towards the tile.

Leah mentions that she likes the change; Sam merely nods and smiles and agrees with his girlfriend. Hinata grins back.

Another year flies by. Hinata trains her stances at least twice a week. The bruises around her eyes have long stopped appearing, and her body no longer grows sore from a few hours of chakra being pumped through it. She doesn't grow so exhausted now. She is beginning to feel a sense of power—and she loves it.


	7. Chapter Six

When she is 14, Sam doesn't come to school for 2 weeks.

Leah is a nervous wreck, snapping at anyone and everything that looks or talks to her the wrong way. Hinata tries to offer her support, but she knows that it means little, considering the amount of pain Leah is in. She doesn't like seeing her friend like this... but she knows. She knows that she can't do anything to help. Because she isn't Sam. And he is all Leah really wants-not stupid, false promises and whispered lies.

The pain in her dark brown eyes is enough to have Hinata tremble and remember the love she lost, but never really quite had to begin with. She wants to share her experience with Leah—she really does. But she can't. She doesn't want to be considered crazy.

–

Emily comes to visit. She holds Leah and offers words of support that Hinata would have never been able to truly say and _mean._

Sam comes back 2 days later and tells Leah that they can't be together. She sobs and cries and screeches words of profanity. Hinata is merely shocked at the change Sam has undergone. He's _massive. _He was already muscular to begin with, but... now? Now he's huge.

Sam doesn't seem to know how to comfort Leah, so he doesn't even try.

When Emily steps up, she pokes him in the chest and glares straight into his eyes. _A coward, _she says. Sam shakes and trembles and for a moment, Hinata thinks that he's about to cry.

"I'm sorry," He says. And then he leaves.

The look in his eyes is almost worse than the look in Leah's.

–

Hinata visits Leah everyday after school. Seth is almost always there too, grinning and laughing with them—with Hinata, anyways. Leah hasn't laughed in months.

It's a few weeks before her birthday when Seth turns to her with a blush on his cheeks. "I like you," He states, and her heart stops. She's imagined those exact words coming out of Naruto's mouth for years. To her surprise, however, she finds herself blushing and smiling and feeling her heart flutter. Naruto's name resonates in the back of her mind, but she doesn't stop herself from saying,

"I like you too, S-Seth." And then he presses his lips to her cheek and she nearly has a heart attack—but the good kind.

–

Hinata doesn't know when it happens, but she begins to see Sam and Emily together. In the beginning, Emily ignores him. She tells him that she doesn't want anything to do with him, and that he's a despicable person. But then, after weeks, she begins to take pity on him. She offers a smile at his jokes and brushes her fingertips against his and gives him sympathy at the tired look on his face.

Hinata knows that Emily is beginning to fall in love with him. She can see it in her eyes; in the way her body always seems to position itself in his direction, even before she knows he's there. Hinata can't help but wonder if there's something magical between them. The look in Sam's eyes is intense and almost beautiful.

And though Hinata feels more than a little pity for Leah, she finds herself hoping Emily and Sam work out. She wants them to work out, simply because her own romance did not.

Her past romance, anyways. Seth is lovely. He's sweet and kind and always takes her feelings into consideration. They've never gone past kisses on the cheek, but Hinata doesn't mind at all. She loves the feeling he gives her. She loves the warmth of his palms and the heat of his smile. She really likes _him. _

–

When Leah sees her ex and her cousin together, she almost collapses. If it isn't for the arm Hinata has wrapped around her, the older girl would have surely fallen to her knees.

Her eyes are wide open and her mouth is agape. She stares at them and they stare back, and then Leah cries. She cries and cries and though Hinata knows that it will mean nothing, she offers words of comfort. She hopes they help.

–

It's a warm day. Not by normal standards—but considering it's February in La Push, it's certainly not as cool as usual.

The veins around Hinata's eyes are throbbing, though not quite in pain. She ignores the sensation, thrusting her palms in and out. The chakra in the air is enough to cause her to shiver in delight. With a gentle smile, she begins to deactivate her Byakugan—only to pause quickly.

What in the world is _that? _

It's giant. It has the shape of a wolf and the heartbeat of a human. It's about 3 times the size of any other wolf she's seen—and almost twice the size of Akamaru. Hinata freezes, only jerking slightly when the creature begins to step in her direction. She isn't sure if she should run or stay or say hello. Probably not the latter, she muses.

As she watches the wolf, in the back of her mind she remembers the bonfire she was invited to a few months prior. She heard a lot of stories then, of the Quileute culture—wolves, _cold_ _ones. _The stories said nothing about the size of the wolf, but Hinata imagines that they would probably be a bit bigger than usual.

Perhaps this is one of them? Perhaps this is a... a _werewolf._

She knows it a long shot, but it's all she can think of; besides a wolf-bear hybrid—and that sounds silly even to her. Not even _bears_ are that big.

With a shiver, she deactivates her Byakugan and shoves her hands in the pockets of her pants. It's probably not the best idea to confront the creature—even if it _is_ a man.

–

Next Friday, Seth invites her to a movie in his living room. It's an old vampire film—the original Dracula, he says. Without much hesitance, she agrees.

The popcorn is buttery and salty and the hold Seth has on her hand is sweet. She loves the tenderness of his fingertips and the roughness of his palm against hers. He smiles and presses his side next to hers, filling her with warmth. She tilts her head on his shoulder and breathes in his scent—peppermint and sunshine.

Sunshine.

Why does she always manage to link back the things she likes to sunshine? Naruto; Konoha; Seth. She has felt strongly for all of them, and the feeling of sunshine has shone bright in them all as well.

When Seth tilts his head down and brushes the side of his mouth against hers, her heart lurches.

She's never been kissed in this lifetime. When she was Hinata _Hyuuga, _she had only been kissed once, by Kiba. It was an accident, he said. But the smile on his face and the blush on his cheeks made her think differently.

A few heartbeats later, Seth presses his lips harder against hers. It's chaste; innocent. Neither of them move, or even close their eyes. They stare at each other, each wondering what the other is thinking. Finally, they pull back to take a breath.

"... C-can I do that again?" He whispers hoarsely. With a tender smile, Hinata finds herself nodding.


	8. Chapter Seven

Thanks to everyone that's reviewed! (: Haha, yeah Tix, I was thinking the same thing. Hinata would probably freak out too, if her eyes suddenly went back to how they were before. And a freaked out Hinata is always cute! Thanks, Sabie. _Spoilers: _Yeah, Hinata was reborn before Pein brought everyone back. I've been debating on whether or not I should offer an explanation in the story, but it's supposed to be as much of a mystery to her, as it is us. I consider it something like a predetermined destiny, though, her being born in that world.

I was looking back at earlier chapters and realized I just put that I don't own Naruto. Well... I don't own Twilight either. xD

* * *

><p>She's visiting the store with her mother when she sees Emily for the first time in 2 months. Hinata's heart picks up speed, as she makes a path right to the older girl.<p>

Emily's eyes widen at the sight of here, but she quickly smiles and waves. Hinata returns the gesture tentatively.

"Hinata! I didn't think I'd see you again for awhile. How have you been?"

"Ah... the s-same as usual, I guess." Emily smiles knowingly. "Yeah." Her smile drops after a few moments. "I... I know it's probably not any of my business after... well, after what happened, but... how's Leah? Is she okay?" She runs a hand through her long black hair. "I guess that's a stupid question. Of course she's not okay."

Hinata bites her bottom lip.

Emily and Sam had moved in with each other a while ago. Leah didn't take the news well at all, to put it lightly.

"Sh-she is... as good as can be expected." She whispers, burying her hands in her jacket pockets. She doesn't want to lie to Emily, but she doesn't want to worry her either. Leah has been a mess. She hasn't been going to school for the past few weeks—they say she'll probably have to repeat her senior year. Sam has all but dropped out of high school.

Whenever Hinata goes over to the Clearwater house, Leah is in bed, either crying into her pillow or snapping at people. Seth tells Hinata not to take it personally, and Hinata never does. She knows what heartbreak feels like. She merely forces a smile and attempts to reassure him.

_She'll get better. It's only a matter of time before she snaps out of this._

Seth always seems touched by her words. He thanks her with a gentle kiss to her cheekbone.

"Ah... that's good." Emily sighs. "I was wondering, maybe, if you'd like to join Sam and I for dinner tonight? I can talk to your mom if you want. You're... 14 now, right?" Hinata nods and the smile returns to Emily's face.

Her mother quickly agrees to let Hinata have dinner with the beautiful young woman.

–

She decides to walk to their house. It's not very far—only about 3 minutes by car.

She can smell the food before she even gets close to the door. It's spaghetti; something she's had dozens, if not hundreds, of times since she was born into this world—but it has never smelled so good before.

Her mouth waters as she steps through the door. Almost immediately, Emily bounds over to her and wraps her arms around Hinata's shoulders. "I'm really glad you could make it!" She says. Though the words are a bit cheesy, Hinata can tell from the warmth in her big brown eyes, that Emily means it.

"It's uh... nice to see you again, Hinata. It's been awhile." The young girl smiles at the deep baritone of Sam's voice. "I-It's nice to see you again too, S-Sam." Before the silence can turn awkward, Emily ushers Hinata into the kitchen with her.

"Why don't you sit down, Sam? The food'll be done soon." The man laughs, silently agreeing.

In the back of her mind, Hinata realizes that she has never heard Sam laugh like that before—especially not around Leah.

"So... you and Seth huh?" Emily giggles at the blooming blush on the other girl's cheeks. "I think it's really cute, actually... you two really suit each other." Hinata can't stop the her smile from erupting.

She... is actually really beginning to like Seth. She likes his voice, his fingers, his smile, his _personality. _She likes him so much, that thoughts of Naruto are beginning to lessen. She doesn't think she'll ever stop loving Naruto, though. She doesn't even think it's possible.

With a shake of her head, she shrugs. "He... he's nice." She whispers. Emily merely smiles in understanding.

The night goes by without much trouble. Emily burns herself on one of the plates and Sam practically has a heart attack. Once again, Hinata is shocked by the amount of love in his eyes.

And once again, she is reminded of the stories she heard at the bonfire. Something about soul mates.

She is almost positive that the term applies to them.

–

When she meets up with Seth after school that Thursday, he easily slips his hand in hers and smiles brightly down at her. He stands at 5'6; practically a giant compared to her 5'1.

She returns the gesture, hesitantly leaning up to press her lips to the side of his mouth. His eyes close as he leans forward, pressing himself against her. His other hand gently grasps her hip; his fingertips massaging her lower back. She smiles into the kiss, before stepping back, her breaths heavy.

"Uhh... nice afternoon we're h-having, huh?" Seth mumbles, eyes half-lidded. Hinata bites her bottom lip, attempting to stifle her laugh. "V-very nice afternoon indeed," She whispers back.

–

She still trains. She still works hard to master the techniques she learned a lifetime ago.

Her chakra is strong now—even stronger than before. She is able to fly through the Hyuuga stances—_16 palms; 32 palms; 64. _The air around her hands crackles in power and she can't help but love the feel of it.

That is not to say that she hasn't had her share of failures, though.

She has gone home with 3rd degree burns covering her hands—covering almost her entire body at times. She's bled and cried and felt frustration. She has fallen from the trees she works so hard at times to scale. She's even broken bones.

It's hard to explain what's happened to her parents, so she usually doesn't even try. She hides behind large jackets and baggy pants and tries not to flinch _too _badly if they touch a spot that's especially sore.

She doesn't want to worry them; she doesn't want to worry Seth either.

–


	9. Chapter Eight

It's the first time she's worn a bathing suit to First Beach.

It's a one-piece; modest and perhaps something an old woman would wear, but Seth's breath is taken away. He immediately latches his arms around her waist and holds her close to his chest.

"You look beautiful," He whispers, burying his nose in the crook of her shoulder. She can't stop her grin; he can't stop himself from being blown away by her smile.

Leaning her back against his chest, she wonders when she started to think about Seth more than Naruto—more than Konoha, more than the life she left behind. She wonders when she began to truly love him. She knows, though, that she isn't _in _love with him. That's a term far too powerful for even her—at least for now. She ignores the whispers in the back of her mind, calling her a traitor. Wasn't she in love with Naruto? _Isn't _she in love with him? But she pushes those thoughts to the darkest corner of her brain and attempts to focus on the now.

He places a soft, hesitant kiss to her neck, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Willing herself to calm down, she turns around and places her hand in his. "L-let's go swimming?" Throwing a gentle smirk her way, Seth nods.

They spend the rest of the summer afternoon in the water, splashing and playing and talking about anything and everything. Hinata feels more happiness in those few hours than she has in months—all thanks to Seth.

They're laying on their towels under an umbrella.

"Your mother is Japanese, right?" Seth asks, glancing in the direction of his... girlfriend. He still can't believe he is able to call her that. He's the luckiest 15 year old alive, he decides.

Hinata nods. Seth smiles. "Do you speak any of the language?"

Her heart jerks, but she whispers an affirmative none the less. She has only spoken a few rare words of Japanese since she arrived in this world 14 years ago. Her mother knows nothing about her daughter's ability to speak more than one language—Hinata never had any intention of someone finding out. But this is Seth, and Seth is... he is important. She doesn't want to lie to him.

He jerks up, grinning like a little boy (which he is, compared to her 30 years, Hinata reminds herself sullenly). "Awesome! Can you say something? Say uh... something about me!" He's smiling so hard Hinata can't help but wonder how his jaws aren't hurting.

With a tender smile, she pauses. Finally, in Japanese, she says: "_I... __I'm really starting to like you. I'm__even __beginning to love you more than... N-Naruto-kun, Seth. You're sweet and gentle and strong and you understand me more than anyone else I've ever met in this world—you understand me even more than you probably should. Thank you." _

Seth stares at her, awe-struck. "That was amazing! I have no idea what you said, but... but it was cool!" Hinata smiles, fighting down a blush. "Thanks." Silently, she's glad he doesn't ask what she said.

"That's what the last thing meant, right? _Ar-arigato? _It means thank you, right?" Hinata nods, a small giggle leaving her lips. Seth's dark brown eyes trail down to glance at her mouth, causing her blush to intensify.

"Can I kiss you?" His words are quiet and his eyes are smoldering. She almost feels herself burning from the inside out—but in a good way. In a _great_ way.

"Y-you never have to ask that, Seth."

They both lean in and meet each other half way.

–

She taps her fingers gently against the desk. She knows that no one, not even herself, is able to hear it. She pads her fingers with chakra every time she does something that may cause disruption to others, after all. It's good practice for chakra control—and she still needs the practice. Managing to just usher power into one part of her body and keep it there was no problem in her past life... but now, it's a bit more difficult. Certainly not as hard as when she first began to work on it, but it still causes trouble at times for her.

It's the last class of the day until the weekend approaches and Hinata is definitely more than thankful. There has been a lot of work this week, and although she's been able to understand and finish most of it, it's still a pain to have so much work on her shoulders. She's a senior now, though. A senior at the age of 14...

She knows that it's not exactly normal here to graduate so soon—but she's glad that she decided to skip a few grades. She can't wait until she gets out of high school, even if it means not being around Seth as much. She just wants to get to college, get a job around the reservation, and—

and what? She wants to stay with Seth, but he's only 15. She's 30 and has had many years to wonder about how she wants her life to end up. For 16 of those years, though, she imagined herself as the wife of a certain future-Hokage. She imagined herself being by Naruto's side for the rest of her life. But then things changed—lives were taken away and new beginnings were given. Then again, though, she never even really expected herself to live past 30, anyways. It's about the average age most Shinobi make it to before they die—either killed on a mission or of the years of danger finally catching up to them.

In a way, she's almost happy that she no longer has to worry about being the heiress to a clan that never really wanted her to begin with, or the weak link between her teammates, or the one who always comes in last place.

She's glad that she doesn't have to worry anymore about assassins or disapproving glances from her father, or being the reason why a mission failed. She's glad that she doesn't have to deal with the words and hushed insults behind her back. She's glad to be done with Shinobi business.

At the same time, though, she misses it more than anything. She misses her teammates; the comradery between them. She misses the village she grew up in, and the family that never really showed her much love. She misses Naruto; the boy who gave her everything without ever really knowing. She misses the feeling of being _needed_ by a village—even though she knows that she never really offered it anything but her undying loyalty.

She misses it so much she could die. Again.

But as she thinks of Seth and her new friends and the love she actually receives from her family, she knows that it almost seems better this way.

It's not as if she was forced to forget her past life—someone or something allowed her to remember. She can still be a Hyuuga, even if it's not in name any more. She can still shape and manipulate her chakra. She still _has_ chakra. She's been blessed by an unknown deity, and she's more than thankful for being able to do the things she can.

With a gentle sigh, she shakes those thoughts out of her head and gathers her stuff together as the bell rings shrilly overhead.

She makes her way out of the classroom, glancing around for Seth. He normally meets her outside of her class—but he's no where in sight. She figures he's just running a bit late.

With her back leaned against someone locker, she closes her eyes and attempts to drown out the sounds in the hallway. No matter how hard she tries, she can still hear it; hear everything. She can hear heels clicking and sneakers squeaking against the linoleum. She hears the loud smack of lockers being slammed shut, and the rustling of papers.

She hears people breathing, and suddenly, she feels someone's breath blowing against her lips.

Snapping her eyes open, she instantly relaxes at the sight of Seth. He smiles and leans forward, pressing his mouth to hers. She's normally not interested in public displays of affection—but it's not as if people are really paying attention to them. Everyone is interested in getting home on a Friday afternoon.

Pressing his warm palm to her hip, he pushes himself closer to her. Their groins touch.

Hinata can't stop the gasp from leaving her lips. For just a split second, it felt like an electric current is running up her spine.

Seth grins against her lips, slipping his tongue into the warm cavern of her mouth. Her heart nearly stops, but she doesn't turn her head or tell him to stop—then again, she can't really say _anything _with her mouth preoccupied like this.

She tentatively presses her small hands to his chest and relaxes at the feel of his erratic heartbeat against her palms. He is as nervous as she is.

Only when the need for air overcomes the desire they're both feeling, does Seth pull away. He rests his forehead against hers, leaning down to look into her eyes. His cheeks are flushed, just as she imagines her own to be. His fingers play with the hem of her shirt and the smile on his lips is bright.

She closes her eyes and leans up to press another chaste kiss to his mouth.

She really, really likes this boy.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Thanks to everyone that has reviewed. (: **

She wakes up gasping; searching for the air that she can't quite find.

She heaves and huffs and clenches the blanket in her fists. Her mind is racing and her eyes burn—like the first time she activated her Byakugan, except a hundred times worse.

Attempting to ignore the pounding in her ears, she swings her legs over the side of the bed and leans down, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees.

"Oh god, oh god, _oh god." _She whispers over and over, ignoring the liquid rolling down her cheeks. After several moments, she stands up, only to stumble back down. She lets out a whine and bites down hard on her bottom lip, not wanting to wake her parents. How would she explain _this?_

_Sorry mom, dad... just had a nightmare about slitting the throat of an unsuspecting Mist shinobi! No big deal._

Her first kill. The first time she took away someone's _life. _She was 13 and she was with her team in Kumogakure. It was a long mission, but they had their sensei and all they had to do was deliver a scroll—nothing too important, Tsunade-sama had said. No one should have been trying to get the scroll from them, but there _was_.

Team 8 was ambushed. They were strong and Hinata was _scared. _She activated her bloodline limit and tried not to get hit; tried to protect herself, her teammates, and the scroll that they still hadn't managed to deliver. Kicks and punches were delivered to her person—the bruises took weeks to heal, she remembers, and she was left with a tiny scar on her collarbone—but she managed to incapacitate the one attacking her. She was proud or herself. She didn't need Kiba or Shino to help her, for once.

From the corner of her eye, she saw one of the enemies with his kunai aiming directly towards Kiba's throat. Kiba didn't see it coming, but the Mist nin didn't see Hinata coming either. She stabbed the man directly in his jugular—not even flinching as the blood squirted out and splattered against her cheek. Kiba turned and thanked her, and though Hinata would do it over and over again if it meant saving Kiba's life, she had nightmares about it for years. She thought she was over it.

Apparently not.

She knows, in the back of her mind, that it's silly to be so worked up about something like this. At least she killed protecting a teammate, and not for a mission or a petty political squabble—many people hire shinobi to take out their political adversaries, after all. Minor clan-heads; princes or princesses of tiny countries. Hinata had never done an assassination mission, and for that, she is more than thankful. She doesn't like the feel of having someone else's blood on her hands.

Wrapping herself tightly in the comforter of her bed, she stifles the tears and forces herself to stay still. As the minutes pass, she knows that sleep is impossible.

It's 3:07am and she doesn't want to sit still.

So she gets up, pulls on a pair of sweatpants, grabs her winter coat, stuffs her feet into a pair of furry boots, opens the window and jumps down. Her room is on the second floor of the house, but she's jumped from higher places; fallen even deeper. She smiles at the sound of snow crunching underneath of her feet.

Hinata walks through the woods for a long time, only stopping once she reaches a tree almost as high as the sky.

She places her right foot on the bark, pushing lightly. Sucking in a breath of frigid air, she pumps chakra into her feet and begins to climb.

It only takes a few minutes to get to the top. Would have taken less, if she wasn't taking her time, she muses.

As she stares down at the tiny town of La Push, she feels... almost like a god, looking down at her creation. Of course, she didn't create La Push, or _anything _in it, but... well, imagination has to count for something, doesn't it?

She waves her hand slowly through the air, allowing chakra to circulate around it. The blue glow calms her soul, and within moments, she feels exhaustion hit her.

Deciding to risk it, she plants her butt on the limb below her, leans against the trunk of the tree and—

and she sleeps.

She dreams of crimson flowing from the enemy's neck; gratitude of saving lives; scars that never go away, and bruises that never seem to heal. She dreams of missions gone wrong and nights where her own sobs awaken her. She dreams of feeling weak and inadequate; of feeling her bones ache. She dreams of never waking up—

–

She wakes up to the howling of wolves.

She huddles into her coat and watches as the sun come up; yellows and purples and blues swirling together to create an abstract work of art. As the howls grow in number, Hinata closes her eyes and wonders, silently, if one of these wolves is the same one she saw months ago. Body of a wolf... heart of a human.

Did their group—ah, pack, grow? Or is she just being silly?

There are many wolves in La Push. _Just _wolves. Not werewolves or hybrids or magical creatures.

She can't stop herself from activating her Byakugan—she hisses at the burn—and making sure, though.

There are 3 of them, only about 20 meters away.

Bodies of wolves; hearts of humans.

Though she wants to watch them—see if they're just wolves or something more—she knows that she needs to get home. Her parents are most likely already awake. If she's lucky, they haven't checked her room yet. If she's _not _lucky... then, well, she's gonna have to come up with something to say.

_Sorry mom, dad; just went for a walk in the snow with temperatures below freezing. _

Not completely impossible.


	11. Chapter Ten

It's the night before her 15th birthday when she hears a soft tapping outside of her bedroom window.

Normally, Hinata would ignore it. She would play it off on a woodpecker or another animal, and _ignore it. _

But for some reason, she gets up and pulls the curtains back, only to let out a tiny gasp. Seth stares up at her from the ground, grinning widely at the look on her face.

The day before had been Christmas—a holiday she wasn't used to from her past life, but found herself actually liking. Or, well, she found herself liking the gifts, really. Seth gave her a scarf and a heavy blue sweater. "For the cold La Push winters," He told her. She has already put them to good use.

"Come down?" He mouths, burying his hands in his puffy jacket. Light snow is beginning to fall from the sky, dusting the ground in a soft white.

Hinata hesitates. She doesn't want to get into trouble. She doesn't want her parents to walk in and see she's gone. She doesn't want to freeze her butt off, either. Most importantly, though, she doesn't want to disappoint Seth. So with a tiny nod at the boy, she closes the curtains and turns around to grab her winter jacket out of the closet. Slipping on some furry boots, she moves as quietly as she can down the stairs to the backdoor.

As soon as she opens the door, Seth steps forward and wraps his arms around her, burying her head in his chest. "You're warm," She whispers, not surprised at all. Seth is always so warm, no matter how cold the weather is.

"You're cold," He teases back, holding her tighter.

Enjoying the feel of his body against hers, Hinata almost forgets to ask him why he wanted her to come down.

"What, I can't want to spend time with my girlfriend before her birthday?" He places a chaste kiss to her forehead, causing her heart to warm. Closing her eyes, she offers a shrug. "O-of course, but... do you have to d-do it when it's so _cold_ out?" He lets out a chuckle. Her toes clench at the sound. "Not my fault your birthday is at the end of the year." He nuzzles her neck gently. "But at least you've me here to warm you up, huh?"

He lets out a dramatic sigh, stepping away from her, but still pulling her along with him. "But you're right. We should go somewhere a little warmer." Shooting her a teasing smile, they walk until they make it to his house—his _empty _house.

"Mom and Dad are down at the Makah Reservation, visiting Emily's family. Leah... well, I don't really know where Leah is. She didn't want to go with them, but she didn't want to stay home for the holidays either." Seth shrugged. "I didn't want to miss your birthday, so I stayed." Though Hinata can't help but feel a little guilty—she's the reason Seth isn't with his family, after all—she can't stop the giant smile from spreading across her face.

"Thank you," She mutters softly. Seth grins down at her, pulling her into the house.

"Anything for you." And though his voice is light, she can tell he means it.

Their coats are wet from the snow and are quickly discarded on the floor. Seth goes to turn on the heater, still holding her tiny hand in his. He doesn't like how cold her fingertips are, so he brings them up to his lips and gently blows warm air onto them. Not even attempting to stifle his grin, he gently tugs her over to the small sofa in the middle of his living room.

She sits beside him, pulling her legs up to her chest. He copies her movements, staring at her all the while. Finally, he wiggles his eyebrows. She cracks a smile.

"Happy birthday," Seth whispers, catching a glimpse of the clock that reads _12:03 _on the table beside the couch. Hinata chuckles. "Thanks."

Seth leans back, fishing in the pocket of his jeans. After a moment, he pulls out a box. "It's not much," He says. "I was originally going to give it to you on Christmas, but... well, it seems more special if I give it to you now." Raising her eyebrows, Hinata leans forward to take the top off of the box. He bites his bottom lip, silently watching.

_It's a wolf. _Or, well, not a _real _wolf, of course. It's a necklace with a little, wooden wolf _on it._

"I made it myself." Seth whispers, as Hinata's eyes widen. "Wolves are, uh... a pretty big part of Quileute history, you know? And uh... well, I just thought, since you live here now—" He's cut off by Hinata throwing her arms around him.

"I-It's great," She tells him. The wolf is a bit clunky and a bit awkward, but she loves it. She really does. Seth grins brightly.

"I'm glad you like it."

* * *

><p>She is on her way out of the classroom door when her English teacher calls her name.<p>

Blinking, Hinata trudges over to his desk, repositioning the books in her arms. They're _huge_, but another good thing about having chakra is that she doesn't have to worry much about how much things weigh anymore.

"Hinata," He begins, letting out a sigh. "You're my best student, you know? In all of my classes." She blushes at the praise, quietly glowing. "And... I know that you must have a lot of work to do in your other classes, but can I ask a favor of you?" He doesn't wait for her answer. "You've heard of Embry Call, right? He's a Junior in my 3rd period." Slowly, Hinata nods. She _has_ heard of him, but only in passing. He and his two friends—Quil and Jack, or... something—have been known to have an unbreakable friendship. She wonders, silently, if it's true.

"Good, good. Not that it matters, I mean... ah, well, he's been missing a lot of school lately. His mother, Ms. Call, called the school early this morning, asking for all the work he's missed. Apparently, he's going to be absent for at least another week. I would normally take the work to him myself, but you live so close and—" Hinata cuts him off.

"I w-would be h-happy to, Mr. Watkins." He smiles tiredly at her—and only then does she notice the bags under his eyes.

"Excellent."

He hands her a packet with Embry's address on top, and sends her on her way.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**A bit of citrus in this chapter. Nothing very graphic, but uh... yeah, you've been warned. (: Also, thanks again for all of the reviews. Embry will fall in pretty soon, but he's not going to be a major character for at least another chapter or two.**

Embry's house is small.

This is Hinata's first thought—and though she feels a bit bad about her next few (about the rotten flower garden on the side, or the rotting roof, or the moss crawling up the side of the house, or the messy stone-walkway job), she shakes her head and steps up to the front porch. She knocks on the door several times and waits.

Minutes pass, as she readjusts the folder in her arms, and then readjusts it again. She figures that he's probably just sleeping. He's sick, after all. But she said that she would deliver the folder—and she isn't about to leave without at least _trying _to give it to Embry. Finally, just as she is about to knock once more, the door is snatched open.

Hinata jumps, startled.

The boy in front of her is easily pushing 6 feet tall—she can tell, even as his nose is facing the ground. His eyes are clenched tight and his fist is holding the wall as if it is a lifeline.

"_What?" _He snarls quietly, wincing almost as soon as the word leaves his lips. She wonders if he's apologetic at his tone, or merely sensitive to sounds-even the sound of his own voice.

He doesn't look at her once, even as she begins to speak.

"M-Mr. Watkins wanted m-me to deliver your work to you. Y-your mom called," He furrows his brow. "saying that y-you would be absent for awhile longer... ah, um... I-I'm Hinata, by the way, and uh... if you need some help, I would b-be happy to offer it." She attempts a bright smile, wilting a bit when he continues to stand there.

Finally, she sighs and holds out the folder.

"Thanks," He sighs gently, reaching forward to take the folder from her grip. He still doesn't look into her eyes. He doesn't look anywhere but at the folder and the ground.

"You're welcome." She whispers, turning on her heel as the door clicks shut once more.

–

She wonders, silently, how in the world they managed to get here—him above her, his fingers in her panties. In _her._ He's buried up to his knuckles; two of his digits being pressed tightly around by her walls. His thumb rubs roughly against her clit, as she mewls his name over and over. Her toes clench as electricity runs up her spine. It's as if lava is rolling around in the pit of her stomach; heat flooding to her crotch and coating his fingers. _His fingers. _She stifles a moan as he adds a third.

His nose brushes along the side of her throat as they both pant; their breaths mingle and mix, but neither of them mind.

"_Sethsethseth," _She sighs in one breath, attempting to spread her thighs farther apart. She hears him chuckle in the crook of her shoulder. "_Hinatahinatahinata," _He mutters back, pressing a kiss to her bare flesh. Her shirt is off, but her bra is not. Not that it's doing much, he muses. Her breasts hang almost freely, as the thin piece of cloth barely covers her chest.

His lips find something new to do, as they latch around an exposed nipple. Her breath catches in her throat, but a groan still escapes.

As Seth curls his fingers and stretches her even further (_ohgodohgodohgod she didn't even think that was possible), _Hinata almost screams as the anticipation and heat and _fire_ builds—she knows, if he would just go a little faster, a little deeper, a little harder—

as her vision goes blinding white and her body turns to fire, she can't stop herself from crying out. As she rides out the high and Seth's fingers continue to drill into her, she barely notices the pinch of pain. But then the pinch turns into a punch, and the punch turns into _terribleterribleterrible _aching.

She lets out a hiss as tears prickle her eyes.

Seth stops immediately, snapping his head up to look at her.

"D-did... did I _hurt you_?" He sounds worried, and Hinata wants nothing more than to reassure him that she's fine. But as the pain stays, she knows that she _isn't _fine.

Slowly, Seth pulls his hand out of her panties, sucking in a breath at the sight of crimson.

His hand is covered in her blood and he looks _disgusted. _

Hinata's eyes go wide at the sight; even wider at the sight of Seth.

"I-I-I'm s-s-s-so s-sorry," She manages to whisper after several tries, attempting to ignore the tears beginning to roll down her flushed cheeks.

_Oh god, he's mad. He's mad, isn't he? He's grossed out. He's fucking disgusted by her._

She doesn't blame him. She hopes he doesn't blame _her _for snatching her pants from the floor and pulling her shirt back over her head.

She's gone before he even knows what to say.

–

Hinata presses her face further into her pillow, only coming up when the need for oxygen grew too much.

She knows what happened. How could she not? Her father—her _Hyuuga_ father—had someone teach her all about sex when she was a young girl, and how she _wasn't supposed to have it until she was married. _The old woman's name was Hiyoko, and just like most other Hyuugas, she was stoic and impersonal. She didn't blush or flutter or any of the things that Hinata did, as she went through the diagrams of the human body.

"Do not allow anyone other than your husband or a doctor to touch you here, Hinata-sama." Hiyoko said, pointing directly to the crotch of the person on the diagram. "Do you understand?" Hinata would nod and silently pray that the lessons would just be over soon.

Hiyoko explained what sex was; how it happened; what happened if it went right (a child, Hiyoko said. The only reason Hinata needed to have sex was to reproduce. It went unsaid, but Hinata knew.); what happened the first time she did it. She would bleed and feel pain, but she had to bear through it. Her hymen would break. It would hurt.

That's what happened. Even if it didn't involve actual sex, Hinata knows.

Hinata clenches her eyes shut and hopes silently that Seth will speak to her soon. Even if it's just enough time for her to apologize.

_I'm sorry I got my vaginal blood all over your hand, Seth! _

She sighs.

–

The next time she sees Seth is in the hallway of school. For once, they aren't walking together. Her heart lurches in her chest at the sight of him and she pauses. He does the same, staring into her eyes.

Slowly, he walks forward. She waits.

As his lips descend on to hers and a million apologies flow from both of their lips, all of Hinata's doubts go away. She's _glad _that Seth was the one to take her virginity—even if it didn't happen the way it should have. Then again, she figures it doesn't matter much.

They speak after school. Seth talked to his father about it, much to Hinata's embarrassment.

"My dad said that... that it's normal for girls to bleed th-the first time that uh... that they..." He trails off, allowing her to fill in the blanks. _She knows, _she wants to say, but she's too mortified to even open her mouth.

"I-it just means that... that I'm the first person to ever touch you that way." He mutters. _The first time in either of her liftetimes._

"And... this might be a-a little forward, but... I want to be the _only _person to ever touch you like that, if... if you're alright with that." He looks straight into her eyes, gently lacing his fingers in hers. Hinata swallows loudly and nods, almost unnoticeable. Seth visibly relaxes.

He leans forward and stops just an inch from her lips. "I love you," He mutters, pressing his mouth to hers.

Hinata simply melts.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**A/N; **Sorry for such a long wait. o-o A bit more citrus in this chapter, but still not very graphic, haha.

The next time Hinata sees Emily Young, the older girl—now a woman, Hinata realizes—is in a hospital bed. Her face is wrapped up in bandages and the heart monitor next to her bed beats steadily. Sue, Harry, Seth, and _Leah _are all out in the hallway, giving Sam—_Samsamsam_; Leah wants him gone, Hinata can tell. But Sam doesn't leave, even as his eyes glaze over with tears and he almost breaks down—time to visit his girlfriend.

Hinata sits with Seth, holding his hand gently. "They say she was attacked by a bear," He whispers, his voice cracking. She rubs circles into the back of his hand and though she nods and continues to murmur words of comfort... in the back of her mind, she is reminded of the wolves. The wolves with the hearts of men.

She wonders, once again, if the legends she heard at a bonfire all those years ago, are just legends, or something more.

As Sam storms down the hallway, shaking from head to toe, Hinata sucks in a breath. His eyes are dark; haunted and filled with so much guilt and self-loathing she finds herself shivering.

Did he do that to Emily? Is that why he's sad? Why he's _guilty? _

She forces herself to cut off that train of thought. She will not allow herself to think that. She likes Sam. She doesn't want to think of him as an abusive man; as an abusive, _shape-shifting_ man.

It's just not possible, is it? But then again, she has chakra circulating through her veins... why can't there be other 'magical' things in the world?

They find out a few days later that Emily will survive. The scars will forever remain. The bright red is supposed to fade, the doctors say (they will soon find out that they were wrong.) As they unwrap the gauze that practically held Emily's face together for the past 4 weeks, Hinata is the only one that doesn't reel back at the sight.

She is mutilated—but she's still Emily. She's still beautiful. Hinata has had her fair share of scars—so, so many scars. She offers a hand when Emily begins to cry and tries to smile as her fingers are squeezed tight.

The only thing Emily can say is _Sam, _and Leah looks as if she wants to hit something—or some_one. _Hinata isn't quite sure if she wants to hurt Emily or Sam, or even herself. She figures that, even though she's curious, it's none of her business.

She offers her support, and that's all she can give.

–

On Seth's 16th birthday, Leah let's him borrow her car—only after threatening to castrate him if he so much as leaves a _knick _on it.

He feels nerves fizzing underneath of his skin as he waits outside of Hinata's house. It's a small place, but not quite homey, like his own home is. Seth has never really had much of a relationship with Hinata's parents. He knows that her mother is Japanese and that her father is Makah, but... that's about it. They've given their daughter permission to date him and that's all he can really ask for. He has seen her mother in the supermarket at times. She smiles and waves and asks him how his day has gone—but he can tell that she doesn't really care. The smile is fake, the wave is lazy. But he doesn't mind, because, honestly, he doesn't care about them either.

If, maybe, one day... he and Hinata decided to get married (one day; a day _far_ from today), then he figures that he should be on good terms with them, but... it seems, at times, that Hinata doesn't care much either. She always seems so responsible, but she almost never bothers to call and tell her parents if she's going to be out late, or if she is going somewhere after school. It seems, to Seth, that her parents don't care either way. For some reason, that makes his heart hurt

Parents should care. _His _parents do.

But as Hinata walks to the car, her hips swaying and mouth pulled up in a smile, he finds himself forgetting about all of that and focusing on _her. _

She kisses him when she gets in the car and compliments him on the ride. "It's Leah's," he says, but thanks her none the less.

He drives them to First Beach. It's a chilly evening and there's no one there. It's a shame, he can't help but think. The sunset is almost as beautiful as the girl in front of him.

He places a towel down and pulls her into his lap when he sits down. He nuzzles her neck and smiles at the content sigh she lets out. His fingers rest on the inside of her bare thigh—he really, really likes her dress. White and pure—just like her. Or, maybe not, he muses, considering what they did weeks before.

She leans into his chest and doesn't stop him from grazing his fingers between her legs. He breathes her name and slips his fingers past the elastic of her cotton panties. He rubs against her nub with his thumb, slipping a digit into her already slick folds. Hinata lets out a gasp, jerking her hips. Her ass thrusts against his jean-clad groin and he can't stop the groan from leaving his lips.

She freezes, but he doesn't stop his movements—unless she tells him to, he doesn't know if he can.

When she grips his wrist and turns around to look into his eyes, he pauses. At her next words, his cock goes stiff.

"I want you to make l-love to me."

And he does.

Over and over.

–

When Embry comes back to school, Hinata doesn't even notice. She's too busy having a panic attack in the girl's bathroom.

She can't believe she slept with him.

Or, well, she can. And she really, really likes the thought—but how could she be so _irresponsible? _He didn't have protection; she isn't exactly on birth control. She didn't think she would actually sleep with Seth, after all, even after what happened... before. In her past life, the very _idea_ of sex before marriage was frowned upon. She, at the very least, has _always_ believed in only sleeping with someone if you're in love with them; if you plan on spending all of your life with them.

She loves Seth. She's probably _in_ love with him, too.

She stares into the dirty mirror, clenching the tile sink tightly in her fists. She breathes in the stench of a nasty, high school bathroom, and after several minutes... she sighs.

All she wanted was to make Seth's 16th birthday memorable... She wanted _it_ just as much as him, though, if not even more—she's had to wait _16 years_ longer than him to have sex, after all. In the back of her mind, she realizes that it was worth the wait.

Sucking in a short breath, she figures that whatever happens will happen. She—_they—_will get through it. She only has 4 more months until she's out of high school, after all; until she's in college. She already has a few dozen letters from universities all around America; some even from other countries. She's given a few thoughts to the schools in Japan, but... she knows that she would rather stay close to La Push. She wants to stay near Seth—especially if she _is _pregnant. Hinata isn't stupid enough to think it's impossible.

She jumps, startled, as the bell for 3rd period rings. Running a hand through her long hair, she nods and heads off.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

During lunch, Seth always mooches off of her plate.

She doesn't mind, though. She doesn't care much for the sloppy mystery meat or the soggy steamed carrots.

As he swallows down a mouthful of food and leans to the side to rest his head on her shoulder, he can't stop the content sigh from leaving his lips. "Wanna do something after school?" He murmurs, his breath tickling her ear. Hinata smiles, gently nodding.

"What'd you have in mind?" Seth shrugs.

"We could always just go to First Beach. Or uh... Port Angeles for a movie, I guess. It's Friday." She hums thoughtfully. A movie doesn't sound so bad... she doesn't really feel like going so far, though, especially since Seth will most likely have to beg Leah for her car.

After a few moments of silence, Seth adds; "Or we could just hang out in my living room. I'm sure my mom would love to see you."

She likes this idea even more.

–

Sue Clearwater is a lovely woman.

She's beautiful and an amazing cook.

When she pinches Hinata's cheeks and coos over how much she's grown over the years ("_but still so darn cute!"), _Hinata can't help but feel loved. A bit embarrassed, sure, but still loved. She hasn't had a very close relationship with either of her parents for the past few years—basically since she discovered her Byakugan, she muses. She figures it's because she's even closer to her past life; to her old self now. She hasn't really been interested in much of _this_ life—except Seth and school and making sure her future will be even better than it was before. She knows she should care about her parents more; should try to reach out and have a better relationship with them... she's been given a second chance at having parents who _care. _But... it doesn't feel right to her. No matter how many times she calls them 'mom' and 'dad', she can never get the faces of her real Oka-chan and Oto-sama out of her head.

Then again, she barely remembers her _Oka-chan, _and the memories she has of Oto-_sama _are not the most pleasant.

Once his mother heads back to whatever it is she was doing before—most likely cooking dinner, he figures—Seth grips his girlfriend's hand and tugs her towards the couch. She smiles and allows him to pull her along.

The feel of their fingers laced together is like magic.

–

Hinata finally settles on a college in Seattle. It's close enough to La Push but still a decent school. Once she got a glimpse of the courses they offer, it only takes a second for her to pick it.

She wants to study history—Japanese history, to be exact.

She isn't entirely sure if she's in another world or just a million years ahead of time. If she _is _in the future, though... how in the world did they manage to lose chakra? Why aren't there still shinobi? Are there some in Japan? She had asked her mother when she was little if there were—her mother simply said, "Oh, yes, there are ninja—not very modern ones, though. My little sunshine... did you wanna be a ninja?" She cooed and coddled and pressed her palms to her daughter's cheeks. Hinata didn't ask her mother another question for at least two years after that.

–

The next time she trains, it's raining, which is really nothing new. Her eyes are blazing with Byakugan, and her fists are lined with chakra. The tree in front of her is practically mangled; shattered and battered with no chance of recovery. She's angry for some reason, and has no idea why.

Her hair is weighed down and wet, sticking to her face and back of her neck. Her hands have cuts from when she wasn't careful enough, but she barely feels them. Just the sting as rain hits.

It happens in a split second; her shoulder jerks, tingling in electricity and her fingers uncurl from fists. Her hand still hits the tree and she can only wince as a loud _crack _fills the air.

Her eyes snap to her hand, morbid curiosity burning in her chest. "Damn it," She sighs, gently lifting her broken hand with her other. Three fingers are snapped, bone peeks out through flesh and the blood is almost sickening.

With pursed lips, she knows that she can't go home like this. It's almost 3 in the morning and what could she say to her parents? "_Oh, sorry, I just slipped in the forest... again." _This isn't the first time she's broken bones, after all.

Closing her eyes, she battles the wave of tears threatening to take over. She's tired. Exhausted of all of _this. _Pretending and lying and acting like she isn't a Kunoichi. She doesn't want to dance around it anymore; doesn't want to have to act like she isn't Hinata Hyuga, a girl who lived and died protecting her village—protecting her friends and comrades.

If she was in Konoha still, all she'd have to do is head over to the hospital and get it fixed up in a matter of minutes. No casts or splints or gauze.

She had tried being a medic-nin once. She was 13 and enrolled in the courses along with Ino and Sakura—Sakura, of course, made it farther than either of them. Hinata tried her best, but... she never really got it. _It's like putting together pieces of a puzzle, Hinata. _She remembers Sakura saying, attempting to help her friend.

But it never really _clicked. _

She figures she has nothing but time to lose, so she settles down at the base of the mangled tree, gently lies her broken hand on her thigh and... tries to heal.

Her left hand glows bright with green chakra (she can do that, at least. She just can't really _do_ anything with it), as she lowers it to her right hand. Breathing in a steadying breath, she tries to concentrate; tries to block out the sounds of the forest; of owls hooting, bugs buzzing, rain splattering on leaves, _wolves howling. _She hopes that none of those wolves are Sam.

She tries to see it as a puzzle; picking the bones out and putting them on the side, attempting to put them together to make a picture.

It's strange. She's only ever attempted to heal _fish _before (which was stationary for every up-coming medic), and it's especially weird doing it on herself. But she tries to carry on.

Sweat trickles down her forehead and the rain feels icy against her skin.

After what seems like hours, when her chakra feels like it's almost _gone, _she forces herself to stop. She knows that if she were a more experienced medic, she wouldn't be feeling so much chakra exhaustion—but she's pretty much completely new at this sort of thing. She only sat through 3 medic-classes before her father decided that her time could be better spent else where.

"No daughter of mine is going to be a _medic." _He spat the word with such distaste, she found herself shivering.

Glancing down at her hand, she smiles tiredly. It's almost completely healed. Sore and bruised, but the bones aren't broken anymore.

She feels proud of herself. And it feels good.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N: **Okay, so, a lot happens in this chapter and some of you may not be too happy about it, but it's the way I've imagined it since the start. I'm setting the groundwork for something larger, so don't give up on it, haha. (: Thank you for the reviews.

* * *

><p>Because of cold weather of La Push, Hinata rarely wears shirts that show her arms. She almost always wears a scarf, and she rarely looks at her naked figure in the mirror.<p>

So when she's stepping out of the shower one day and glances at her reflection, she can't stop the gasp when she sees something on her collarbone. A _scar_, the same place she had one in her past li—

She blinks and rubs her eyes, leaning closer to the mirror. She had completely forgotten about the scar. If it weren't for that dream she had _months _ago, she wouldn't even be thinking about it. She'd pass it off as some random injury she got training. Maybe that's what happened. Maybe she's just over-thinking it. It's just a coincidence, she tells herself, and shoves it to the back of her mind.

She doesn't think about it for another week—when another dream comes.

–

_There aren't many things Hinata can say she is truly, truly terrified of. She is afraid of things, but not many of them can make her heart break; make her sweat bullets, or feel like she's dying. _

_Being abandoned is one of the things she can barely even _fathom, _let alone handle. But she _has_ been abandoned. She _has _had her love shoved back at her. She _has_ been rejected and ruined and felt like she has nothing left to live for._

_Her father looking down at her is one of the things she truly hates. The way his eyes harden as he looks as her—in disappointment, denial, pity, and most certainly not _love—_is something she used to have nightmares about. She lost her mother too early; lost her cousin too wrongly; lost her sister for no reason at all. She lost her father because she is weak. She knows she is, and doesn't need him to tell her—but he does anyway. And she doesn't tell him to stop, because she is a respectful daughter._

_Respectful, but not strong; not like Hanabi, who is the absolute apple of his fucking eye._

_Hinata doesn't want to be bitter; doesn't want to feel so badly about it. But her sister—the sister who took away the life of their mother and stole their father's adoration before she even uttered her first word..._

_Hinata loves her sister, but sometimes she wonders—in the deep, dark corners of her mind—what it would be like if Hanabi was never born; what it would be like if Hinata was the light of her father's eye, and if she still had her mother's arms to wrap around her._

_She still wouldn't be strong; would still be a bit of a disappointment... but her father would have nothing to compare her to. "How can you be so _weak, _Hinata? Your younger sister can beat you!" _

_And she can._

_Hanabi is stronger; is tougher; is less of a disaster._

_She can have Hinata gasping for breath in under a minute; can flip her on her back in under 3. _

_The first time Hiashi pits his daughters together, Hanabi is three and Hinata is six. Hanabi wins with only 6 months of training. Hinata loses with almost 4 years of it._

_He has them spar at least twice a month and only _once_ does his eldest daughter win. Hanabi felt pity for her, Hinata knew. Hinata hated it, but what could she do? She didn't expect her palm to hit, didn't expect Hanabi to hiss out in pain. But the look of astonishment and _pride_ in her father's eyes was enough to have her tear up._

_She didn't even come close to coming out on top again._

_When Hinata is 12 and Hanabi is 9, Hiashi tells them to fight._

_Hinata is proud of becoming a genin. She is proud of her team and proud of the few missions they've been able to complete—even if they're only taking care of kids, or rescuing cats, or taking out trash for the elderly. She's proud to finally be doing something. She feels as if she might actually have a chance at becoming something other than—_

_other than a failure._

_But as Hanabi's chakra-laced palm connects with her temple and she is slammed across the room, she wonders if having hope is really such a terrible thing._

_Her younger sister doesn't hold back. Her eyes blaze and her mouth is pulled into a sneer (so much like their father's, Hinata can't help but think with such blinding sadness, she almost can't stand it). Her palms strike Hinata furiously, bruising and breaking. The eldest girl tries to fight back; tries to hit and punch and strike, but each attempt is blocked. Each attempt ends with failure._

_Hanabi lets out a low snarl. When her fingers finally press roughly into the stomach of her sister, Hinata collapses, bloodied and wheezing. She doesn't get up until she's sure she won't cry. She isn't offered assistance or apologies. Her father doesn't look down his nose at her, or even shake his head—or, maybe he does. Her eyes are screwed shut. She can't see a thing._

_When she drags herself into her room and presses her face into her pillow, she sobs. Sobs long and hard and doesn't care if someone can see her with their Byakugan. If someone saw her, they would laugh. She knows it._

_She showers a few minutes later, tears on her cheeks and blood trailing down her arms, stomach and face. When she's clean, she merely sighs at the sight of a long cut on her left bicep. It's bright red, with inflamed pink flesh around it. She knows that within a month, it'll scar. _

_She can't find it in herself to care. _

–

She presses her forehead to the cool glass of the mirror. It feels good against her flushed skin, and she sighs. She's only wearing her panties and bra—white and soft and innocent and completely ignored, because the only things she can look at are the two 'new', light marks on her flesh.

On her collarbone...

and her left bicep.

She ignored the first because it just seemed like a coincidence. But now? There's no way. Especially since the stupid scar wasn't there yesterday. She wakes up and it's _there. _That doesn't just magically happen. It _can't_ happen; it's not logical.

Then again, neither is her existence here, in a world she doesn't really belong in.

It obviously has to do with her past life. Maybe it's not going to be so _past_ anymore. Will she have dreams of battles and little incidents until her 'new' body is covered in scars too? She used to see them as trophies; as little reminders that she isn't weak. That she survived those things; survived her sister, survived her first kill, survived—survived countless other things.

But now? She doesn't know how to feel. She's even closer to her life as Hinata _Hyuga, _which she should be happy for. But how will she ever explain these marks? Medic-nins can't get rid of scars, and even if they could, Hinata isn't anywhere close to figuring out how.

She won't be able to wear short-sleeves, not that she does it much anyways. She can get away with showing off her collarbone—not that she does that much either—simply because that scar is so _small. _So insignificant.

With pursed lips, Hinata closes her eyes tight and counts backwards from ten. There's no use crying, but she can feel the burn of tears.

Letting out a sigh, she turns and pulls on some clothes—jeans and a thick turtleneck. The same kind of outfit she'll be wearing for the next few... what, years? She snorts.

It's 7 o'clock and she has school in 30 minutes, but she doesn't feel like going. The idea of spending the next 7 hours in a stuffy building with kids who don't like her to begin with isn't exactly appealing—not when she's in the mood she's in.

So she decides to walk. Her boot-covered feet stamp against the old road. No one is out; everyone's in school or work and there aren't any sidewalks to begin with, so she doesn't care that she's walking in the street. She plays with a loose string in the pocket of her pants, staring down mindlessly at her steamy breath.

Without her even realizing it, she finds herself at the beach. She breathes in the smell of salt and shivers from the ocean breeze.

"It's cold." She states obviously to herself.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

She jumps, swirling around, only to catch a glimpse of some tall, shirtless guy—Embry, she realizes after a long moment. With pursed lips and distrusting eyes that don't quite meet his, she slowly turns back around, hesitantly keeping her back to him. She knows, no matter how ripped this boy may be, he's no match for what she's capable of now.

"Why aren't you in school?"

She narrows her eyes to the sea, feeling a burst of irritation go through her.

"W-why aren't _you?" _God _damn _that stutter, she snarls in her mind.

"Work." He says simply, with a hearty laugh. She almost rolls her eyes, but stops herself. Not that there's any reason to. He can't see her face.

When she doesn't say anything for several moments, he sighs.

"You shouldn't be alone. It isn't safe." She can't stop the laugh from leaving her cracked lips.

"Safe? You don't know _crap _about being safe, Embry." She hisses, her hands turning into fists.

"You're just some stupid boy who thinks he's stronger than every girl. You think you're a man, but you're not. You want to be a hero? Go help people who _need_ it. Not me. I won't _ever_ need your help." She doesn't know where it came from, but the words are out before she can even process them.

She's angry and tired and confused and _lonely, _and he's the only one she can take it out on. Because Seth isn't here and Seth is too nice and sweet and beautiful for her to ever be mad at, anyway. So she's gonna yell at this boy she barely knows the name of. Except—no, she's not. Because he doesn't deserve it, no matter how _full of himself _he may be.

Squeezing her eyes shut for several seconds, she almost fears the silence behind her, as she fights off tears.

Finally, Embry snorts. "Well fuck you too. I just tried to help you. It's my job—I didn't _ask for this shit._ No need to be such a bitch."

With a crack, she snaps around and steps forward, staring him dead in the eye and raising her hand before she can stop it.

It cracks against his cheek and she doesn't even wince as her fingers break _again. _They had just been healed a week or two before and were still sore.

She's too busy trying to stay standing. Gravity feels like it's moving; repositioning itself and throwing itself off axis. Her feet feel like they're slipping; her head feels heavy and her heart feels like it's about to crash. Her nerves tingle, her blood sings, and even her chakra sizzles in—in what? Excitement? She doesn't know what's going on, but she likes it. Or maybe she doesn't. She doesn't know anything anymore.

And then a second passes and the feeling is gone.

Embry is staring at her with wide, dark eyes (they're like chocolate, she can't help but think in the back of her mind), mouth parted slightly. His cheek doesn't look hurt at all, and though she knows that if she put even a little bit of her actual power into it, he'd be halfway across the beach, she's glad that she didn't hurt him. She's glad that he's okay.

He steps back suddenly, tripping over his own feet. His butt hits the ground, but he's still staring at her. The pure emotion in his eyes scares her. She knows that she's seen a look like that before—not directed at her, of course—but she can't quite place it.

Finally, his eyes snap to her hand, two fingers bent at an odd angle.

"_Oh._ Oh my god, are you okay? I'm—oh shit, I'm so sorry." He reaches out to touch her hand—to cradle it in his large palms and she's too shocked to pull away. "You're so small," He whispers, almost too low for her to hear.

"I... I d-don't have a car, but I'll take you to the hospital, okay? I'll just borrow Sam's. Or... I, I could carry you. But you probably won't be comfortable with that. Oh god..." His eyes slide to hers again, causing her insides to melt (what? _Whatwhatwhat _is going on?). His orbs are filled with panic now, but they still the same emotion as before.

She purses her lips and gently slides her hand from his. Rejection fills his eyes, but she ignores it. He looks as if he wants to hold on, but he doesn't. He doesn't want to hurt her—not anymore, at least.

"Um... th-there," She clears her throat. "There's n-no need for that, Em-Embry." She swallows through a dry throat. "I'll be fine on my own. I... I'll g-go now and then... uh... I'll... go to school. Right." He stares at her from his position on the ground—and only then does she realize just how much of a giant he is. He's almost eye-level with her with his butt on the ground and her still standing up.

"No. I mean, if that's what you want—but I want to make sure you're alright." He tells her firmly, with a dash of worry thrown in. She closes her eyes. "I pr-promise I'll be fine." But he shakes his head. "_Please, _I need to see for myself." The desperation in his voice makes her pause. With a sigh, she hesitantly nods her head.

"Is Forks hospital alright?"

Embry stiffens, but nods his head vigorously.

He finally stands, suddenly placing a hand on her lower back and underneath her knees. With a gentle squeal leaving her lips as he picks her up, she feels the air leave her lungs.

For some reason—some strange, weird, completely unnatural, completely _illogical _reason—she feels safe in his arms. And that makes her uncomfortable.

"I-I can a-a-ask Leah t-to drive u-us."

She figures that Embry feels guilty. He provoked her, she hit him, she broke her fingers on his cheek. It's only natural for him to want to make sure she's safe since it's 'his fault' (even though she doesn't blame him), she tells herself. She tells herself it's okay.

"Alright."

"B-but I can walk on my own." She attempts to say firmly. The stutter sort of ruins it though.

"... Alright."

She tries to ignore the way he stares at her and the way his body heat (he's way warmer than anyone else she's every touched; warmer than Kiba, or Seth or—well, they're the only above-average temperature people that she can think of—but he's warmer than anyone) rolls off of him, reaching out to her. She tries to ignore the low whine that leaves his lips when she winces at the feel of her fingers being pressed too roughly to her chest.

She tries to ignore _him. _But she can't. And that really, really scares her.

–

Leah opens the door after several loud knocks, a scowl in place and eyes dark. She freezes at the sight of Hinata and Embry, wondering what hell is going on.

"What the _hell _is going on?" She voices, raising her eyebrows.

She notices the way Hinata is cradling her hand to her chest, and almost flinches at the sight of her distorted fingers. She doesn't like the way that stupid boy (he hangs out with Sam. He's automatically a terrible fucking person in her book) is looking at her younger friend.

"We... ah... m-may we please get a ride to the hospital?"

With a tense nod and pursed lips, Leah hisses, "Of course. But I better get the whole fuckin' story on the way."

Hinata tries to ignore the way Embry shakes. The way he trembles at Leah's harsh tone.

She doubts that he's cold—so what is it then?

–


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N: **Thanks for all the support on the last chapter. (: I'm glad people liked it. I forgot to answer before, but here are the ages for now;

Hinata: 15

Seth: 16

Embry/Jake/Quil: 17

Bella/Paul: 18

Leah/Sam/Emily: 19

* * *

><p>Embry Call is not stupid.<p>

If you were to ask his teachers, or even his own fucking _mother, _they would probably tell you differently. But he isn't stupid.

He knows math and English and all that other crap—he just doesn't think there's much point in trying hard in high school when he's not even going to college. His family (his _mom)_ didn't have the funds months ago, and even if they did now, Embry can't leave the Rez if he _wants _to. He's bound here forever.

He's bound here because he's a goddamn werewolf. Yeah, he thought they were fake too. The legends are real—woo fucking hoo. He lost his two best friends and now he finds out that one of them might be his _brother _too. He's always been a bastard child, and now he's the bastard child of someone with the wolf gene. There are only a few people _that_ could be...

And two of them are the fathers of his best friends—the other is the father of Sam Uley. No one says it, but they all hope it's Joshua Uley. He already has the reputation of an asshole. The other two were happily married at the time of Embry's conception and birth.

He is the fourth wolf to phase and the fastest to calm down and phase back. Sam had no one to guide him, so it took _days _for him to get a level head. Jared took almost a day. Paul took almost a _week. _He's hot-headed as shit, so it took a while for him to calm down.

It took Embry seven hours. He's proud of himself, even though it's not much to be proud _of._

Even though he was panicked and afraid and thought he was going crazy, he didn't want to be stuck as a wolf forever. So he took deep breaths and tried to stop his mental tears (yeah, he cried. Paul made fun of him for it, but what can you do?), and finally he managed to find himself curled up, naked, in the fetal position, in the middle of the forest floor.

He doesn't go home for a week. His mother doesn't go crazy with worry; she merely takes the counsel's word that he's alright. When he finally slips through his bedroom window in the dead of night, he collapses into the familiar scent of his bed, rubbing his sensitive nose into his pillow. She hadn't washed the sheets. He'll have to in the morning, he figures. He's covered in dirt and sweat and by the time he wakes up, the bed will surely be dirty too.

His mother—Tiffany—doesn't tell him good morning. She doesn't set down any coffee or cereal or eggs. She ignores him like she always does. He isn't allowed to tell her about the wolf thing. She isn't a true Quileute, they say. She came there when she was pregnant with Embry, 17 and alone. They took pity on her, but that doesn't mean that they're going to tell her something like _this._

Embry runs a hand through his hair. It used to reach his shoulders, but he had to cut it. It's short—too short for his liking.

"You're going back to school, aren't you?" The sound of his mother's voice almost makes him flinch; it's hardened from years of smoking and whatever the hell she used to do in her youth. He had never heard it so... _well_ before. The roughness hurts his ears.

With tight lips, he shrugs. "I guess so." Tiffany snorts. "You're going." She says with finality. His wolf twists awake from its slumber, coming to life at her tone.

Attempting to stop his shaking, Embry grasps the kitchen counter, narrowing his eyes as a crack appears in the tile. His mother doesn't even notice.

Not wanting to have this conversation with her—not wanting to lose control and hurt her like he _knows _he's able to—he merely nods jerkily. "Of course, mom."

Tiffany turns back around and doesn't move until Embry is out of the front door.

–

Every day after he returns to school, people look at him. All of them with shock at first, but then the shock turns to lust from the girls and aggression from the boys.

Every day after he returns to school, Jacob and Quil are there, trying to get him to talk to them; trying to get him to open up and tell them what the fuck is going on; what the fuck he's doing with _Sam Uley. _They all used to hate him. They hate Embry too. If they don't now, they will soon.

He can't tell them either. It's not time, Sam says. Embry has no choice but to listen, even as his heart breaks in his chest.

They're the only two friends he's ever known—

they've been together since they were toddlers, and Embry doesn't want to leave them, but he—he has no choice. At all. He's an animal and Sam Uley holds his fucking leash. Sam is his Alpha and he has to obey.

–

He smells it sometimes. He doesn't know what it is or _who _it is, but it's delicious. It's like... a mixture of cinnamon and earth and chocolate cake. It's like everything good rolled into one thing, and he really... really likes it. Sometimes, though, something else twists itself into the scent—something disgusting. The only thing he can think of is... is the smell of _sex_ and too much cologne.

And he really... really hates it.

The scent is probably the only thing that manages to get him through the school day without exploding into a wolf at the judgmental looks and lustful stares.

–

Emily is really great, Embry can't help but think. Her cooking is great and she's beautiful, even with the bright right scars covering half of her face.

She tells them stories as they all devour her cooking—stories of her and Sam (even though the rest of the wolves had all seen them a hundred times in Sam's head), stories of old friends, of new recipes. She talks a lot of some girl named Hinata.

"She's really such a sweetheart," Emily sighs. "She's dating my cousin—little Seth. Or, well, maybe not so little anymore." She giggles. "You guys might want to watch out for if he starts phasing!"

Sam would merely smile gently and press a tender kiss to his imprint's temple.

_Imprint._

Embry isn't sure whether he wants one or not—part of him does. Part of him wants to feel the way Sam does about a girl. He wants to have someone to love and cherish and be loved in return. He wants someone to come home to and to wrap his arms around. He wants a girl to feel _something _for him.

But the other part of him... the other part doesn't want anything to do with imprints. He has enough unnatural, illogical, '_magical' _shit going on in his life now. He doesn't need to have some... strange bond to a random girl. He doesn't need a _'mate'. _He doesn't want to feel so strongly for someone; to feel so strongly he's willing to die for them.

He's only 17. He doesn't want to have such a powerful commitment.

In the back of his mind, though, a voice tells him that he can't do it-love someone. He has no experience being loved, so how can he ever offer it?_  
><em>

–

Bella Swan. She's alright, he supposes. Jake has a huge crush on her—has for almost 10 years now.

She was dating a vampire, but his family left. Broke her heart. She ran into the woods, tripped, got lost, and he and the wolves had to help her out.

She hangs out a lot with Jacob now. Embry isn't sure how to feel about it. She seems nice. Just not... _stable, _if you know what he means.

When a red-headed leech starts to come closer and closer to La Push, Sam puts all of them on longer patrols. Embry and Jared go to school; Sam and Paul don't. Paul says he doesn't care, and Sam dropped out the moment he became a wolf.

Most of the time, though, Embry skips. Jared almost never does, since he imprinted on Kim—some weird, sheltered girl that's had a crush on Jared for years, apparently. She and Emily get along well, but Embry can tell that Emily wants a relationship like that with someone closer to her own age. Kim's only 15.

He only goes to class when he feels like he's about to explode—just so he can smell the scent that keeps him grounded.

–

They're supposed to protect the tribe—that's been their _thing _since the beginning. They're 'warriors'.

Sam has been stricter since the leech got closer. He wants the pack to really step it up and make sure that stupid parasite doesn't get anywhere near La Push—again.

It's about 9 in the morning. Usually at this time, everyone is either at home or school or work—including Embry. He's... working. Patrolling.

When he sees a girl on First Beach, his first reaction is to sigh. He has to warn her to go back inside. He has to make sure she's 'safe'. He has to take care of everyone in La Push, including the people he doesn't really care about. Not that he doesn't care about this girl—he just doesn't know her.

He steps closer, smirking lightly when he hears her talking to herself.

"It's cold."

And even though he stopped feeling the cold months ago, he smiles and says: "Yeah, I guess it is."

She swirls around, long dark hair flowing in the wind. She doesn't meet his eyes, but Embry can vaguely remember her as the girl who knocked on his door and offered to tutor him a while ago. She said that his mother called the school, but Emily later said that it was her. It was before he had phased, and Emily was already looking out for him. "We saw the signs, so I thought I would help you out." It felt good to finally be taken care of by a—a mother figure?

Raising an amused eyebrow, Embry asks, "Why aren't you in school?" Her back is to him again, so he can't see her face, but he _does _hear the way her teeth grind. "W-why aren't _you?" _She stutters. He can't help but think it's sort of cute.

He lets out a laugh. "Work." It's pretty much the truth after all.

She doesn't say anything, and he sighs. "You shouldn't be alone. It isn't safe." A laugh leaves her lips.

"Safe? You don't know _crap _about being safe, Embry." And though his wolf stirs and shackles rise, he can't stop himself from shivering at the way she says his name.

"You're just some stupid boy who thinks he's stronger than every girl." She takes a deep breath and clenches her fists tight. "You think you're a man, but you're not. You want to be a hero? Go help people who _need_ it. Not me. I won't _ever_ need your help."

He stares at the back of her head, clenching his jaw so tight it begins to feel sore. His shoulders tremble and though the wolf seems about as calm as it _can _be in this sort of situation, Embry can't stop himself from saying;

"Well fuck you too. I just tried to help you—I didn't _ask for this shit," _and he didn't. "No need to be such a bitch."

As the wind shifts, so does her body. He's so taken off-guard by her scent (chocolate cake and cinnamon and earth and everything good), that he barely notices her hand rising. Her eyes snap to his and his entire world stops.

Suddenly, he forgets everything—his mother, the father he never met, the pack he has begun to see as his family, the friends he was forced to leave behind, the 12 years of schooling he's gone through. He forgets everything and can focus on nothing but _her._

Big grey-blue eyes, pale skin, button nose, long black hair, dark brown turtleneck, slimming jeans, furry boots, and—and everything he didn't notice the first time he saw her. She's got three tiny freckles below her left eye and her lips are plump—but not overly so. She's got an amazing (ohgodohgod, what an understatement) figure, and she looks like an angel.

Her palm slaps roughly against his cheek, but his wolf doesn't even growl—it merely shivers at the feel of her skin against his.

Finally, he stumbles back, startled and almost embarrassed as he lands on his ass.

He's almost eye-level with her, he realizes, before his gaze snaps to her hand.

He feels sick.

"_Oh." _Words tumble out, but he's barely even paying attention. He's too focused on the fact that he _hurt his imprint. _Her fingers are distorted and her skin is bruised and she's so, so tiny. He reaches forward and holds her broken hand in the palm of both of his. He feels tears threatening to come up, but he pushes them down with as much force as he can muster.

He needs to take her to a hospital. He has to. Oh god.

When she gently pulls her hand back, he can't stop rejection from filling his face. He doesn't blame her though—she doesn't know him. She doesn't know that he's hers.

But the wolf is devastated. It squirms and howls and rages against its cage at the loss of her skin against his.

She wants to go to Forks Hospital. One of those fucking leeches used to work there, but hadn't for awhile—he can still smell them at times, though, and the very thought of going anywhere near there is enough to make him go stiff.

But she needs help, and it's the closest place, so he nods.

She feels like heaven pressed against his chest, but he knows that he's making her uncomfortable—so he lets her down when she asks.

She wants to borrow Leah's car. The name rings a bell, and he _knows_ he knows it, but he can't remember right now. Everything is a blur besides the angel at his side. He wants to hold her; comfort her, even though she's not showing her pain—besides that wince that made him hurt too.

He can't help but notice her shoulders trembling, so he steps a little closer, allowing his body heat to reach out and touch her. He hates the thought of her being in any sort of discomfort; especially if he can do something about it.

When they get to Leah's house (it _is _her house, right?), he can hear the heartbeat and smell the tears of someone.

He knocks on the door, practically beating the thing down in a hurry to get his imprint to the hospital. They could already be there if he just carried her—but he doesn't want to scare her, and _this is what she wants, _so he'll have to deal with it.

The girl, Leah, snaps the front door open, sneering. Her eyes are a bit puffy, but besides that, there's no sign of her crying.

He can still barely process words—his mind is still a jumble; he's still focused entirely on his imprint (_who he doesn't know the name of. Fuck.)—_but he _does_ hear the tone of Leah's voice—and his wolf doesn't like the way she speaks to their mate.

Embry tries to hold his growl in, but he can't help it. His shoulders shake and his figure trembles. Leah's head snaps to look at him, and to his relief, she flinches back slightly. It's enough to appease the wolf _for now. _His imprint looks up at him, eyebrows furrowed.

Only when they're in the car and Leah says his imprint's name—_Hinatahinatahinatahinatahinata, _Embry repeats in his mind a thousand times—does he remember who she is.

She's the genius who skipped a few grades; the one people make fun of.

She's the one who is set to graduate in just a few months. She probably already has a thousand places to go for school, he can't help but think with dismay.

She's the one dating Emily's cousin and Leah's younger brother. His wolf howls and it chills him to the bone. She's dating some stupid little boy (even though he's only younger than Embry by a year, the shape-shifter can't help but feel years older than he truly is), and from one of the old scents in the car _cheap cologne and the something else that makes his skin crawl), _he realizes that Seth is what he smelled along with her scent a few times.

Embry shakes. He closes his eyes and tries not to lose control—not with her, _Hinata, _in the car. He doesn't want to hurt her like Sam did to Emily. He doesn't want to hurt her _again._

Only when he feels her confused gaze on him, does he snap his eyes to hers. Something on his face must have scared her (_ohgod), _because she flinches back. His wolf howls louder and the shaking intensifies. He ignores Leah's annoying voice in the front of the car.

Hinata is sitting next to him in the back, and though she hesitates, Embry's heart completely warms when she reaches over to run her fingertips across his bicep.

"I-it's okay," She whispers. "A-are you cold?" He can tell she knows he's not, but he shakes his head anyways. "I'm... I'm fine." He mutters, leaning over slightly to catch a deeper whiff of her pleasant scent. It drowns out the smell of _ him (cheap cologne and _fuckfuckfuck), and his wolf calms down.

Despite her protests, he carries her into the hospital. He argues until he loses his breath. "_She needs to see someone __**now. **__She's hurt!" _And when a doctor comes out (not a Cullen. Even though Embry knows they aren't in Forks anymore, he can't stop himself from relaxing) to take her into a back room, Embry goes with her—or, at least, he tries to.

Leah grabs his arm.

"Look, I don't know what the fuck you want with Hinata. Your dumb ass didn't say _shit _in the car. But she's dating Seth. She's _happy _with him. She doesn't need some stupid, horny, steroid-taking _asshole _to come and try to get in her pants."

Embry growls low, warning Leah to back off. Even though her eyes mutely flash in panic, her grip doesn't loosen. He merely snorts and shakes her off.

"I'm... _I just want to make sure she's okay." _And it's true. Even though he doesn't _just_ want that, he _needs_ to see if his imprint (_his Hinata)_ is okay.

Leah narrows her eyes.

"Fine," She snaps. "But don't you dare try anything."

He merely jogs over to catch up with the doctor and _Hinata. _

–

_He knows what people think of them. They think that the Pack is just a gang run by Sam Uley—the trouble-making son of a bastard. People think that they take steroids and beat up little old ladies on Sunday nights. But people don't know shit. Embry hopes that Hinata doesn't think that about them. He hopes that she doesn't think he's just some stupid delinquent._

–


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: **I hope you enjoy. (:

* * *

><p>The doctor is young; maybe in his mid-twenties. He's blonde and tanned and looks a bit like Naruto—he's attractive, but Hinata can only think about the boy who Leah just stopped in the hall. She figures that she has at least a minute or two before he comes to meet up with them again.<p>

"Did... did that man do that to you, miss?" Her eyes snap to the doctor, eyebrows furrowed. He clears his throat. "Did he break your fingers?" Hinata blinks, her gaze sliding back down to her hand. Honestly, she could have healed the thing herself (not very well, mind you, but... yeah.), but she wanted to get Embry off of her back (in the back of her mind, though, she knows that she doesn't mind that he's here.).

She smiles softly. "I... I suppose you c-could say that. I broke my hand when, ah... w-well, it's a bit embarrassing." She knows that if she just said _no, _that the doctor wouldn't believe her—he would think that Embry is abusive and violent, and most likely tell someone. She doesn't want that to happen.

"I broke my f-fingers when I slapped him." She giggles gently; fake and forced. The doctor is obviously relieved however, so she doesn't mind it.

"That's," He chuckles. "That's quite... hm." He trails off and Hinata doesn't bother trying to revive the conversation.

He leads her into a small room and ushers for her to sit down. "I'll be right back." He says with a smile—she still doesn't know his name, Hinata muses. Isn't it customary for doctors to give their name? Not that it matters.

The doctor moves to step out of the room, only to run right into Embry—who's still shirtless, Hinata finally realizes with tingles of (_excitement) _amusement going through her.

"Excuse me." The older man says, sliding past.

Embry doesn't spare him a glance, moving to stand directly next to Hinata.

"Does it hurt?" He whispers, eyebrows furrowed. He's about a foot and a half taller than her as she's sitting down.

She shrugs. "I've had worse." And she _has. _Even in this lifetime.

Embry tenses. "What? You've broken other... other bones? How badly have you been hurt before?" Hinata glances up at him through her lashes. Biting her bottom lip, she tries to tell herself that he's just trying to make conversation; he's just curious.

"Ah, well..." She purses her lips, wondering what's safe to tell him. Finally, she shrugs.

"I've broken b-both legs at least twice, broken my right arm once, my left n-never. I've broken my nose twice and have had a few minor con-concussions." All of it's true, too. Sometimes her training gets a little out of hand... she gets a little frustrated or angry or s-sad, and she loses control of the amount of chakra she's pushing through her limbs. The result is... well, it's usually not pretty. Putting too much chakra—or even not enough—in her feet as she's climbing a tree has proven to be disastrous. She's fallen and slammed her head into the ground a time or two—or, maybe a few dozen times.

She glances to Embry, only to see his face pulled into a horrified grimace. She blinks, reaching out to touch him before she can stop herself. As soon as her (unbroken) fingertips touch his arm, his eyes snap to hers and a smirk pulls at his lips.

"I... I've only ever broken my leg. I played soccer with Ja-Jake and Quil when I was younger..." He snorts. "All we did was kick around a ball and try not to let the other kick it too far, though. Not sure if you can call that soccer."

She distantly recalls the faces of his friends in the back of her mind, wondering why he sounds so... _bitter_ as he speaks of them. She figures they aren't friends anymore. For some reason, that makes her gut clench.

"I guess I kicked the ball too hard, or not hard enough... truthfully, I don't even really remember." He smiles and it practically lights up his face. It makes her heart warm.

"When I broke my leg, Quil's dad had to carry me to his car and drove us to a hospital in Port Angeles. He had something against this, _Forks, _hospital, and though I didn't understand it then—" He cuts himself off, shrugging.

Embry buries his hands in his pockets.

"I definitely haven't... been hurt as much as you." He frowns, eyebrows furrowing and fists clenching into loose balls. "How did all of that _happen, _anyways?" Hinata licks her lips, trying to ignore the way his eyes snap to look at her mouth.

"W-would you believe me if I t-told you I'm interested in p-parkour?" She smiles. She figures it's the closest thing to what she's doing—running, jumping, flipping, climbing to the tops of the tallest trees with chakra and then making herself climb down manually.

Embry's eyes widen, the gaudy light of the hospital making the chocolate-color stand out even more.

"Uh... parkour, huh? I used to want to be able to do that stuff. Quil, Jake and I all tried to." He laughs. "It didn't go very well, though. Quil broke his left big toe." Embry giggles like a school girl and Hinata can't help but find herself joining him.

She only stops at the sound of the door opening. Embry instantly stiffens and stands up a little straighter.

"All you have to do is sign a few papers, allow me to put on the cast, and you'll be out of here in a few." The doctor—_Dr. Nameless—_says, smiling. She can tell he still doesn't trust Embry, but doesn't see why it matters. As far as she can tell, Embry is a nice guy. A little rough around the edges, but... really, who isn't?

–

The cast they put on is a soft lavender. Embry says it's pretty and asks her if he can sign it. Even though he's joking, Hinata smiles and nods.

His eyes light up. "Do you have a sharpie, by chance?" She laughs. "I know S-Seth has a few at his house." She tilts her head. "He should be h-home a-around now."

Embry stiffens, but nods his head jerkily. "Alright. Um... do you.. want me to ride back with you?" Hinata blinks up at him. "O-of course. Unless you h-have another ride... o-or if you don't want to!" She hastily adds.

He smiles and nods. "I want to."

Leah gives him dirty looks as they drive back down to La Push, but Hinata doesn't seem to notice. She's staring down at her cast, wondering how Seth will react. Will he freak out like Embry did? Will he be worried and ask that happened and how he can try to fix it? Will he kiss her and try to make it better?

Part of her wants him to do something like that. She wants him to hold her and tell her that's it's alright—even though she's not scared or hurt or panicked about a thing.

They drive back to the Clearwater home in under 20 minutes. Soft rock plays from the radio, and though it isn't very loud, it's almost like it's blaring with Embry's sensitive hearing.

Seth is just walking through the front door when his sister pulls up. He blinks, looking back. His heart leaps at the sight of Hinata getting out of the car, before his eyes narrow in on the cast covering her hand. He drops his book bag and practically runs to her, holding her cheeks with the palms of his hands. Some stupid, soft, barely noticeable voice in the back of her head whispers: _his palms aren't as warm as Embry's. They don't feel as good, do they?_

But she ignores it to the best of her ability.

"Are you okay?" He whispers, pressing his nose to hers. She stares into his orbs, mouthing the word 'yes'. As he leans forward to press a kiss to her parted lips, her eyes subtly move to look at Embry—who's staring at her with a devastated face. His eyebrows are furrowed, his lips tight and his eyes wild.

And for some reason, Hinata feels like her heart is about to beat itself out of her chest—not in the good way. Not in the way Seth usually makes her feel.

She doesn't deny the kiss, though. She doesn't want to hurt her boyfriend's feelings. He means more to her than some boy she barely met. She doesn't care that Embry is hurt. She doesn't care at all.

She'll repeat it until she believes it.

No matter how hard she tries, though, she can't pull her gaze from Embry. He stares back at her with his chocolate eyes, mouth contorted into a pained grimace. She ignores the throbbing in her chest, willing herself to tear her eyes from his. He's shaking hard, but his gaze doesn't waver. After what seems to be hours, but she knows is only seconds, Embry, forces a smile, raises his right hand (_trembling, _she notes)... and he waves.

Then he turns on his heel and leaves, shoulders still shivering.

Only when she notices that Seth is looking at her with narrowed eyes, does she blink and look at him. He's biting his bottom lip—something he only does when he's confused or surprised, or probably both in this case. He searches her eyes for something, before he sighs and smiles, pressing another sweet kiss to her lips.

Leah clears her throat, and Hinata almost jumps. _Almost._

Turning to look at the older girl, Hinata smiles. "Th-thank you for driving us, Leah." Leah merely shrugs, beginning to make her way to the front door. She pauses.

"I don't like that Embry guy." She states, eyes locked on the door. "His eyes look like Sam's—and he's... he looks at you like Sam looks at Emily. I don't trust him." She opens the door and steps through before either of them can say anything.

Seth purses his lips, beginning to usher her into the house. It's cold and he doesn't want her to catch something. "What happened?"

She doesn't beat around the bush. "I slapped him and broke my fingers." He sucks in an audible breath, snapping his head to look at her. "_What? _Did he _do_ something to you?" He sounds desperate. He's so worried he feels sick.

Hinata presses a chaste kiss to his cheek. "I... I was just in a bad mood, and Em-_Embry_ was in the wrong place at the wrong time." She smiles, eyes shining up at him. And though Seth doesn't like the way she says the older boy's name, he can't stop his grin—because she looks so happy. She looks happy as she looks at _him, _and he knows that he can trust her with everything he has.

"If... if he ever does something to you... tell me. I'll... I don't know what I'll do, but I won't let him get away with it. Okay?" His eyes plead with her, but she merely nods. "Of course." She knows that Seth doesn't like violence, so she feels warmth spread through her at his declaration to protect her honor. Then again, he may just write a long, heavily-worded letter to Embry's mother.

She almost snorts at the thought, but covers it as a laugh.

"Do you wanna w-watch a movie?" She mutters as they pass through the living room. Leah slips past them, wearing a different outfit than before. "Don't get _too _comfortable, munchkins." She leers playfully, gently nudging Seth's shoulder with her own. As the siblings share a chuckle, Hinata merely smiles. Once his big sister leaves, Seth wraps his arms around Hinata and pulls her down on the couch.

As they settle down and turn on some silly, _romantic comedy, _and Seth presses open-mouthed kisses to the side of her neck—

Hinata feels uncomfortable.

Not bad necessarily, just... different. She doesn't feel the same as usual. She doesn't have the same butterflies she did last week when the same events took place. She still feels excitement. She's... aroused. And she almost feels bad about it, which makes no sense. She's technically a grown woman. She's never felt bad about doing stuff like this before. Then again, she's only ever done it with Seth. Which makes the feeling ever weirder—because this _is_ Seth.

His fingertips graze her stomach, causing chill bumps to erupt on her flesh. He breathes her neck, tickling her neck. As his hand slips upward, slowly inching its way up past her tight turtleneck, he whispers, "Can't we take this off?"

She shivers, nodding before she can stop herself. She forgets about the scar on her bicep; forgets that she's supposed to be _hiding it. _She can only focus on the warmth in her stomach and trying to get rid of the heaviness in her chest.

He tugs off the shirt (being extra careful with the cast), and the thought that his parents could be home at any minute is almost exciting. She's been in a lot of dangerous situations before—life and death. But this? This isn't nearly as stressful. But it still fuels the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

He nips at the exposed flesh of her collarbone, tongue running over the scar there. "Where'd you get this?" He whispers, not noticing the larger, darker scar merely a few inches away. Hinata squirms as his breath tickles her.

"N-nothing. Just something s-silly." His eyes move up to search hers; his gaze dark and intense. Finally, he moves away. At first, she feels the sting of rejection (and for some odd, _illogical _reason, she feels... relief). As soon as he ushers for her to crawl to his lap, she does. He smiles at her, leaning to kiss and nip at her throat.

He reaches behind her, slowly unhooking the bra keeping her top-half from being exposed. The air hits her nipples, causing her to shiver once more.

And then she hears it—

a howl, long and mournful.

It's the middle of the day.

Wolves normally don't howl until it gets late into the evening. It's not natural here, but it seems Hinata is the only one who notices—or cares.

She instantly tenses, suddenly feeling a million different emotions hitting her at once.

She wants to continue this. She wants Seth to touch her; she wants to feel _good. _But she wants the painful feeling in her chest to go away. It's like guilt mixed into desire, and it's... it's not _good._ She has no _reason _to be guilty, though. She hasn't done anything wrong.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Hinata moves to stop Seth. "Maybe... we could do this s-some other t-t-time?" His eyes show her his hesitation and shock (and rejection), but once she smiles at him, he slowly returns it.

"Of—" He clears his throat. "Of course."

Hinata presses a chaste kiss to his lips, pulling on the articles of clothing that she just took off.

As she and Seth sit in an awkward silence, she can't help but wonder just _what's _going on with her today.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: **Oh my. Been awhile. Sorry about that. xD I've been running out of inspiration for this, and with school back in session, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. I've got the next few chapters planned out, though, so I'll try to write them soon. Please enjoy. (':

* * *

><p>Another Monday morning.<p>

Hinata hums a gentle tune under her breath, slowly making her way to locker _707. _

July 7th. Kiba's birthday.

Hinata smiles as she steps in front of it, rubbing the tip of her thumb over the numbers. She wonders how he's doing—if he and Akamaru are still raising hell. If he settled down with anyone. If he's in ANBU yet. If he's a jounin-sensei. Is he even still alive? Does he have kids? Does Akamaru have pups?

She wishes that she could have been able to meet them.

Part of her is grateful for having to be reminded of Kiba everyday. He (and everyone else that she was forced to leave behind in Konoha) is part of her, even if she hasn't seen them in years. She's glad she is able to still picture them clearly in her mind—with Kiba's mischievous, cocky eyes; Akamaru's coarse fur; Naruto's trademark smile; Shino's irreplaceable wisdom.

She misses them, but at the very least... she knows that she will never forget them.

As she turns around, her breath catches in her throat.

Embry is looking at her.

His back is pressed against one of the lockers, with his arms crossed. His chocolate orbs are intense and unreadable. And, for some reason, that doesn't make her uncomfortable. She feels... content.

She offers him a smile, which is returned almost immediately. With a soft feeling in her chest, she approaches him. She considers them friends now—maybe not... best buddies, but she likes him. He's sweet. She broke her fingers on his cheek at least 3 weeks ago, and their relationship was a bit rocky in the beginning, but now it seems to be... _okay._

Her cast came off 'remarkably' fast according to the doctors, but Hinata's just glad it's gone.

"Good morning," Embry whispers, voice quiet but she has no trouble hearing him in the loud hallway.

"Morning," She says simply, repositioning the books in her arms. She only likes to go to her locker before school, before lunch, and after school. The books get a little annoying at times, but of course they're never too heavy.

Embry's gaze snaps down. "Let me carry those for you," He says, grinning. Hinata wants to say no and that she can do it herself—but she doesn't. Because, for some reason, Embry looks so happy. And she doesn't want to hurt his feelings.

So she says, "Okay." And that's that.

He walks her to her next class, small talk passing between them. He tells her of how his friend Paul got mad at a little girl the other day for taking the last muffin.

"That's horrible!" Hinata laughs, turning to him as they approach her first period. He smirks gently, carefully placing the books back into her arms. "See ya at lunch."

Seth wasn't very happy the first time Embry decided to sit with them at lunch—but Hinata didn't want to turn him away, and he really _is _a nice guy once you get used to him. She knows that Seth doesn't like her being friends with someone associated with Sam Uley, but... for some reason, she just doesn't care. She loves Seth, yes, but Embry doesn't deserve to be denied friendship.

So she smiles and says, "See ya."

The first 3 periods go by quick enough, and before she knows it, she's standing in line for a lunch she won't even eat.

Mystery meat—check.

Mushy green beans—check.

Hard mashed potatoes—oh yummy! Check.

Pursing her lips, she heads over to their usual table, only to see Seth already there. She smiles, sneaking up on him to press a quick kiss to the side of his neck.

"Oh go—!" He splutters as Hinata chuckles. "Nice to see you too, _pumpkin._" Seth smirks, pulling her down for a peck.

"Nice choice we've got today, huh?" He murmurs, staring down at their trays. Hinata shrugs, pushing hers over to him. Every day was pretty much the same. Instead of having steamed carrots one day, though, they might have green beans or... well, she's not quite sure if it's zucchini or broccoli. Yes, it's that frightening.

Embry joins them after a few moments, five trays in his arms. Even though she's seen it for the past week, she still can't believe the boy can eat so much. Another thing he has in common with Sam, she can't help but note. They both eat like they've never seen food before.

With his mouth full of... something, he finally swallows and asks, "Why aren't you eating anything again, Hinata?" She pauses, before smiling. "I d-don't really want to get s-sick later." He looks confused, so she elaborates. "This stuff is gr-gross, Embry!" She laughs at the raise of his eyebrows.

"'Haven't noticed," He shrugs. Seth purses his lips, looking as if he wants to say something. Instead, he turns to his girlfriend.

"We're still on for this weekend, right?" From the corner of her eye, Hinata sees Embry freeze.

"Of course." She tells him simply, smiling as he presses another kiss to her cheek.

Embry watches them, forcing down his mouthful of... god, he doesn't even know what this crap is either. And he doesn't care. He's always hungry and he's pretty much immune to stomach viruses (or any other kind of virus)—but he's seeing what Hinata meant by 'feeling sick'. The sight of his imprint with another male is... painful. So, so painful. _Hearing her about to fuck him... _that was probably the most painful thing he's ever gone through—even worse than having his bones break and reform after the first time he phased.

At first, he wasn't entirely sure if he should even attempt a relationship with her. She seems happy with Seth. Happy and _safe. _Seth's a good kid, no matter how much Embry may hate him for having his imprint. _His_ Hinata. With Embry... he can protect her, but there's no way he can offer her what Seth can. A _future. _She's meant for something big. She's meant to become someone great (someone even greater than she is now, anyways), and Embry... he's forever stuck in La Push. He doesn't want that for her.

She deserves someone better than the bastard child of a werewolf and a life stuck _here. _She deserves fame and money and true _fucking_ love. Like she has with Seth.

He's been telling that himself every day for the past 3 weeks, but he can't stop himself from wanting to be around her. He wants to see her with his own eyes; hear her voice, her laugh. He wants to be able to touch her, even if it's just a brush of her fingertips and a squeeze of her hand on his shoulder.

Embry Call is in love with Hinata White, and he hasn't even known her a month.

He doesn't mind, though. He _can't_ mind. He doesn't want to.

So he forces down his jealousy and tells himself that everything will be fine.

Hinata is happy and that's all that matters.

It's all that will _ever_ matter.

* * *

><p>Hinata dreams of wolves.<p>

Or, no. She dreams of one wolf. He (don't ask her how she knows, but it's a he) has gray fur with black patches. And he's beautiful.

He yips and yaps and looks so happy when she sees him. She can't help but laugh along, as they run through a field of flowers. They run and run, and then the forest turns dense. Green is everywhere and she has no problem seeing him (_her wolf)_ until the forest goes dark.

His barks turn to whines and growls, growing louder and louder with each heartbeat. She calls out for him, asks him where he's gone. She feels heavy in her chest and as rain pours down from the sky, soaking her, she begins to cry.

Everything goes mute, and then Seth appears. He's beautiful, just like he's always been, but he looks... different. Stronger, bigger, faster, _older._

He mouths her name, beginning to step towards her.

And then her wolf comes back and so does the sound.

He growls at Seth in warning, standing between him and Hinata. She wants to say something; to tell him it's okay and that Seth is her friend.

But as soon as she opens her mouth, the wolf disappears—

and in his place is Embry Call.

–

She wakes up with a start, gasping.

Running a hand through her hair, she blows out a breath. "Some crazy dreams I've been having," She whispers to herself, staring up at the ceiling in silence.

Or maybe this one isn't so crazy.

Hinata has always been a believer in dreams—in not ignoring them. She always tries to remember them, hoping that maybe they'll have some sort of answer for the future.

She wasn't entirely sure before; she only had the barest of ideas. But now... she thinks she knows.

Embry Call, Sam Uley, and the rest of their little 'gang' might just be werewolves.

Or maybe she really is just crazy.

* * *

><p>The next time Hinata sees Embry, she watches him. Does he sniff stuff a lot? God, she hopes that he doesn't pee to mark his territory. That's what dogs do, right?<p>

But he looks like a normal boy. A large, tanned, tall... normal boy.

He grins like the sun when he sees her, waving and jogging over. His legs are long and it doesn't take much time at all.

"Hinata!" He smiles giddily. She can't stop herself from beaming back.

Even if he _is _a werewolf (a monster, some may say), he's still Embry Call.

And he's still a friend.


End file.
